Thicker Than Water
by mypiratecat1
Summary: PostAWE. EDITED! WE. Jack, Will & Elizabeth are returning home on the Pearl after AWE. Calypso appears with shocking news that Jack & Will are cousins. Jack falls very ill, Will must uncover Jack's sad past to save their new family ties.
1. Chapter 1

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE - JULY 3, 2007:By now, many of you have seen "At World's End". I have, and I absolutely ****love it****. As this fic was written before the movie, **_**_I have decided to edit it to better coincide with the motion picture, and to link it up as a sequel to my other fiction, "Calypso's Hand"._**

**_For those of you who have already read this story, my apologies... please indulge my selfishness... it might make it easier for me to perhaps write a third one to tie in and make a trilogy! I hope that I don't confuse anyone. It's the same story, just tweaked here and there. Pirate Cat_**

_**Disclaimer**: If I owned them, I would keep my sweet Jack Sparrow for myself and would not have to work two jobs. _

_**Author's Note: **__This is my first fan fiction. The ideas have been in my poor head since "Curse of The Black Pearl" came out years ago. If I borrowed anything from any other fics, I apoligize, as I have read hundreds of them. I hope that I have put an original twist on the idea. Some of the characters might be a bit "out of character", they might be sweeter or nicer than some like, but this is how it is my own "Pirates" world. Either Jerry Bruckheimer or Gore Verbinski said that the Pirates movie trilogy is about" what makes a good man". Here is my version. Thanks for checking in on my story!_

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The Black Pearl glided effortlessly through the waves, leaving Singapore and the Far East with a heading guiding the ship and her crew back to the blue waters of the Caribbean. The sleek dark ship was restored to her former beauty after her battles with Davy Jones' leviathan, the Kraken, and from her skirmish with the East India Trading Company in the battle of the crew's very lives. They had won this battle to preserve the pirate way of life, but the crew all knew that the golden age of their profession was past. They swore to each other that they would go out fighting; they would remain pirates until their dying days - they would just have to be cleverer and quicker than they had ever been, and the Black Pearl was the fastest and stealthiest pirate ship left in the world. Indeed, she had been lost to the world at the sea's surface twice, and twice she had been resurrected by the efforts of Captain Jack Sparrow.

The man, himself, stood at the helm of his beloved ship, guiding her through the waves that he was born upon and lived upon nearly all of his life. He was quite the picture at the wheel - very slightly built, not nearly as tall and muscular as his legend would lead to believe, but larger than life in spite of his slender body. He was deeply tanned of skin, his long dark hair flying loosely about his handsome, angular face. Some of his incredibly thick hair was curiously wound in long waist-length dreadlocks and random braids, ornamented with various beads and trinkets, looser hair was tied into place with a long red bandana, with a worn leather tricorn hat perched proudly on his head. His long coat blew with the wind like the black sails above his head, and his face bore a lopsided smile accented with several gold teeth. He had a dark mustache, and his bearded chin was adorned with two tiny braids ornamented with beads - he was a striking sight, indeed.

His visage bore two scars, one through his right eyebrow (from a knife fight, or so he had claimed), the other a large imperfection on his right jaw from a case of scurvy that he could never quite shake. Even though his eating habits were not good - his thin frame evidenced his love of rum and general lack of interest in regular meals which were sometimes a luxury at sea - he had come away from The Other Side with a peculiar craving for limes, which seemed to help to keep the scurvy at bay. Otherwise, his dark face was incredibly unscathed for having lived the windy life that he had.

The most striking feature of Jack Sparrow's face were his expressive deep, warm brown eyes, which were outlined in black kohl to tame the harshness of the sun's glare off of the water. The kohl gave the captain's large eyes a very intense look - sparkling and warm chocolate brown most times, and almost inky black and extremely intimidating to most who would cross his path with malicious intent. These dark eyes held many secrets behind them; indeed, it was general knowledge that the mind behind those expressive eyes was not quite sound.

Many thought that Jack's borderline madness was brought on by a severe case of heatstroke and several blows to the head, many others thought he was simply born a bit addled. His eccentric schemes and plans had a strange way of working out, and the man had more patience to make his plans work than anyone would have ever expected from a person who could not seem to walk a straight line, and whose slender hands always seemed to have a firm grip on a bottle of rum, when they weren't fluttering about, punctuating the words of his sometimes stilted manner of speaking English.

His strange, rolling, almost drunken gait while walking had become worse since being rescued from The Other Side - he was fine upon his ship, almost graceful, but on land he tended to stumble more these days, and his thought patterns were more odd and more random than ever - he tended to drift off into hallucinations at times, and had a great deal of trouble telling what was real and what was not... but he was a good captain, and took good care of his crew; his crew was willing to overlook his quirks just to have him back among them. As his first mate Joshamee Gibbs had observed, the world was brightened by his presence… he joked, he smiled, he loved his ship and he loved the freedom that she gave him.

He was not bloodthirsty, for being a legendary pirate. He could even be a gentleman at times. He hated that he was a good man, with a sense of decency, but he was very odd man…he wanted, more than anything, to be the legendary pirate over the good man, but it was debatable to most that knew him. It wasn't until the recent events that had taken place at World's End that William and Elizabeth Turner found that this man, a pirate, was, beyond a doubt, the best man that the two of them had ever met…

William Turner the Second observed the captain below from his place in the rigging. They had first met in Port Royal, Jamaica, where Will lived and was trying to make a living as a blacksmith. Through a very strange turn of events he and Jack Sparrow had fought to regain Jack's ship and to save the life of Elizabeth Swann, the young Governor's daughter that Will had known since they were both 12 years old, and whom Will loved with all of his heart from afar. Jack had lost his beloved Black Pearl to mutiny 10 years prior to meeting Will and had already saved Elizabeth from drowning before he was arrested for piracy… only one of the many times that Jack had done the right thing, only to be condemned for it.

It was with Jack's help that Will was able to save Elizabeth and they were finally able to profess their love for each other. Will aided Jack in regaining his beloved Pearl after saving the captain from the gallows, and they had become friends through their mutual efforts, though they seemed as different as they could be - Jack was gregarious and brash, Will was quiet and introverted. There had been many other times that Jack might have done the right thing and been misunderstood for it, Will was certain, but Jack rarely volunteered anything of his past to anyone, even to his best friend, Will. Jack was endearingly strange, that was a fact, but underneath his swaggering surface, a better friend could not be found. Will just wished that he knew more about him... Jack's mental wanderings since being rescued from the Locker made Will and Elizabeth feel that he should be quietly protected, and it would be so much easier if they knew how to help him fight back the elusive demons that lurked in the depths of the captain's mind, sometimes.

As the younger man watched the captain guide the ship through the water, he thought back to the most recent events that nearly tore their friendship apart, and had nearly caused Will to lose the love of his life, Elizabeth, forever, all over misunderstandings, and a great deal of mistrust that was unfounded. They had fought against each other, lost like goals, and because of decisions made with his heart many years before, Jack paid his debt to Davy Jones with his very life. He was dragged to the depths of The Locker by the monstrous Kraken, and had found death, but had been brought back from his sand-filled hell by his friends and his crew. Even when they found him on The Other Side, they conquered many obstacles to regain each other's friendship, and had found a new and deep trust, something that was rare for Jack Sparrow. Jack had saved Will's life with a selfless act of compassion for his friend by helping a wounded Will stab the heart of Davy Jones in order to save his ebbing life. Because of this, Will was granted immortality - through Jack's action, he was saved from death. Jack had seen death from both sides, and he refused to let Will go through what he had been through.

Will turned his face to the horizon that they were sailing toward and smiled. In stabbing the heart, Will was, at first, to become the captain of Jones' ship, the legendary Flying Dutchman. The curse of Davy Jones, however, did not need to be Will's curse; he was destined to free the sea of its darkest angel of death, but was not destined to become the undead master of the sea, himself, left to wander the world in search of the lost souls of dead mariners.

He was released from the Dutchman by his own relentless honor... his own hard work to rectify the wrongdoing of his predessecor, and in doing so he won the approval of the sea goddess, Calypso, the guardian of the souls lost at sea and of the ghost ship itself. Will proved to Calypso that there were still good men who took pride in their duties, no matter how hard they were, how heartbreaking they were, or how a man might be charged with those duties. Through the efforts of his friend, Jack Sparrow, who had petitioned Calypso for Will's freedom in the same manner that he had petitioned Davy Jones to raise his beloved ship, and through his and Elizabeth's undying and true love; Will was able to pass the mantle of captaincy and immortality to Admiral James Norrington, who was once engaged to Elizabeth for a short time. Elizabeth was not proud of breaking James' heart when she proclaimed her true love for Will, but she had to make a choice. James, although sad and broken because of his bad choices in life, was proud to helm the ship, returned to her former glory by the end of Jones' curse; James was determined to take the ship back to her original intent and do good, by helping those souls in need of guidance to their final destination. That they were all together or in the places that they were, now, were all directly related to the actions of Captain Jack Sparrow upon their behalf... even James Norrington had to admit that. A fine thing for a man who at one time would have been thought of as completely self-serving and selfish... granted, Jack was a pirate, but he had not always been such, and once in while his heroic heart shone through.

Will was able to renew his relationship with his immortal father, William "Bootstrap Bill" Turner, one of Jack Sparrow's few good friends. Will and Jack had stabbed the heart of Davy Jones and had freed Bill from his afterlife of servitude. But Bill chose to stay on the ghostly Dutchman, even though he was no longer bound by oath. Norrington welcomed Bill's lifetime of sailing experience, in spite of the fact that Bill's son married the woman that he, Norrington, had loved. Bill felt that James Norrington would make an exemplary captain, and wanted to stay on as first mate. Bill made sure to make the young Turners understand that he would be there for them, no matter what… all they needed to do was think of him when they needed him, and he would come their way.

Will was greatly comforted by this promise from his father, and glad to be among the living, even though his view of life was changed forever. Will recovered his living heart from the Dutchman, and returned to mortal life at Elizabeth's side, although he would always bear the prominent scar upon his chest. Elizabeth called it a badge of true love and courage. The only condition that was attached to Will's return to his mortal loved ones was that he would be required to return to the Flying Dutchman whenever he was needed by James... he was appointed as a guardian of the good. He would be fully free if he fulfilled this condition faithfully in order to maintain the original purpose of the ship, and help James Norrington in his own assigned duty. The articles of the ship had been changed... a living heart would no longer be required, and James would be an exemplary captain even in death. Will's lesson from the Flying Dutchman and losing his friend, Jack, was to live every day to the fullest, and never, ever take living and loving for granted. He was a changed man; Elizabeth loved the man that Will had become more deeply than ever.

Will was proud of himself, and Elizabeth, too. They had weathered many storms together, and their love had survived great losses - they had almost lost each other's love, Elizabeth's father had been murdered, and they _did_ lose Jack, whom they came to know as their best friend. They went through hell to bring Jack back among them, with the help of the voodoo priestess, Tia Dalma, who turned out to be Calypso entrapped in human form. Will and Elizabeth had finally been married on the deck of the Pearl during the Battle of the Maelstrom... married by Captain Hector Barbossa, while Jack was fighting with them for the same cause. When Jack temporarily lost the Black Pearl to Captain Hector Barbossa again, Will and Jack had requested parlay, and Will resurrected another ship from the deep, the Calypso's Hand, which they offered to Hector as his own. It was a beautiful, grand vessel, and Hector agreed to an accord and surrendered that which Jack loved more than anything - the Pearl. Jack was incredibly grateful to Will for helping him; the Turners considered the Pearl their home as well, for now. Since they all had met in Port Royal in what seemed like a lifetime ago, terrible things had befallen them all, but Jack and Will were the ones to pay the heaviest price, both by dying or nearly dying and being saved by love, and they had all survived.

Will and Elizabeth both knew that they could never return to their old lives in Jamaica. They both had prices on their heads for piracy, now, but they did not care. Elizabeth's father had died at the hands of the East India Trading Company; Governor Swann could not be saved - and she no longer had a home in Port Royal. Will and Elizabeth had each other and that was all that they cared about. Jack and his loyal crew knew of several places in the Caribbean where Will and Elizabeth could start over, but the young couple were both reluctant to leave Jack and the others… it was a very long voyage back to the Caribbean, which would give the young couple time to think and decide what they wanted to do with their lives.


	2. Chapter 2

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"Will?"

"Aye, Elizabeth, I'm on my way down to the deck, now!"

Will clambered down from the rigging, his tall, lanky, muscular frame lowering himself to the open arms of his beautiful wife. Elizabeth smiled warmly at the picture of her brown eyed husband - young, tanned and handsome beyond words. He had always been the picture of physical strength as much as Jack was slender and almost delicate looking, and Elizabeth certainly appreciated the muscles that Will had strengthened while working on the Pearl as a member of the crew.

"What is it, my love?"

"Nothing…. I just wanted to feel your arms around me." She ran her fingers through his curly brown hair, then laid her cheek across his strong, broad shoulder.

Will wrapped his long arms around his bride's waist; reveling in the glow that the months on the sea had given to her creamy face… her hazel eyes gazed up at him with utter happiness - her pirate husband. He reached down and kissed her, then laughed when he heard someone making a disgusting smooching sound above their heads.

They both looked up to see Jack's grinning face looking straight down at them from the rail of the quarterdeck, hair blowing wildly in his face, strands of beads threatening to knock out another tooth.

"Mr. Gibbs, I find this public display of affection t' be highly distasteful, don't you? What form o' punishment should be mete out to young Mr. Turner an' his bonny lass for offendin' th' captain and th' first mate of th' Black Pearl, eh?"

Joshamee Gibbs appeared at the railing and peered over at the laughing young couple, his grizzled face screwed into a mock frown. "Cap'n, I might recommend that they be tied together an' forced to kiss each other f' eternity." Gibbs took a pull from his ever present flask of rum, passing it to his younger captain for a drink - much to his chagrin, Jack nearly drained it in three large, loud swallows.

The captain swiveled his head around to look at his first mate to hand back the flask, his face smiling even more madly, and his eyes dancing, "Aye! Eternal damnation o' th' married! Ewww…. Marri-aaaage! Blah!" Jack screwed his face up in distaste, "And to think, Izzy, that I actually offered to perform said marri-age betwixt th' two of us on these very steps, here! Wot was I thinkin'????"

"You were quite drunk at the time that you offered to perform that marri-aaaage, Jack, and I happen to know that a captain can not marry himself to someone on his ship! You never fooled me for a moment! You just wanted to see what I'd say. It was just a case of… of… curiosity!" countered a laughing Elizabeth, while being hugged tightly by her husband.

"Aye, Jack! I don't know what I will do with the two of you, bantering like you do… I have to admit that it can be quite entertaining, though." smiled Will.

"Ye got t' be careful banterin' wif tha' one, William," sniffed the captain, pointing at Elizabeth, whose eyes got rather large. "She's got wits as sharp as her tongue, eh? Almost as sharp o' wits as Captain Jack Sparrow."

By now, Jack had turned the helm over to Mr. Gibbs, and had joined Will and Elizabeth on the lower deck. It was no secret that he was fond of the Turners. He regarded the happy couple for a moment, then tentatively put his arms around their shoulders in a happy embrace - very unusual for Jack, who had a habit of not touching others - when he did, it was with great delicacy.

He said nothing, but the look in his eyes toward the young couple said everything - he was not accustomed to being open with his real feelings, but since the recovery of Will's heart and the reuniting of the three of them in deep friendship, it was very obvious that the captain had forever changed. The younger couple put their arms around his slender waist and embraced him back. There was no need for words. Adversity had bonded the three of them forever.

Darkness had fallen upon the sea when the trio pulled up seats on the warm deck and relaxed together with a bottle of rum. It had been a good day sailing - they were coming into the Indian Ocean and the weather was pleasant.

They regarded the lovely star filled sky with quiet conversation - they had eaten a fine meal for supper; curried chicken and rice, which the captain, particularly, had enjoyed. He had extended his compliments to the cook, Mr. Ragetti, which made the young man blush with pleasure. It had amazed all of them that the one eyed pirate was a fair cook; learning rudimentary skills at a stove in his mother's brothel. After she had died, he and his uncle, Mr. Pintel, had been press ganged into the Royal Navy, where Rags had learned more about cooking in traveling around the world.

"Who woulda thought tha' Rags could cook some? I never knew it until we left Singapore of late, an' he brought along all them spices from th' marketplaces. I can cook rice fairly, but chicken wif curry would vex me thoroughly. Funny ol' world, innit? … Oi, did anyone think to make sure that he didn't get 'is grubby hands on one o' me hens?" Jack mused.

"No, the hens are fine, Jack, I looked in the hold, and Scarlet and Gisele and are unharmed, snug in their nesting boxes," Elizabeth replied. "I thought the same thing. The birds that we had for supper were those ill-tempered fighting roosters that Mr. Gibbs won gambling. I should hope that he gambles for better stakes next time, although the meal was delicious!"

"I'm glad that it was the roosters!" Will frowned. "Had it been on of the hens, I should miss the eggs as much as Jack would." He had found the entire concept of cockfighting to be vulgar; interesting, considering where they had all been in the recent past that he would consider something such as that to be vulgar, after the atrocities that they had witnessed. He looked over at Jack in the moonlight, who had tilted his head clear back so that Will could only see the bottom of his whiskered chin. Jack was peacefully staring up at the stars. The captain yawned.

"… I keep reflectin' on things… and it is still hard t' believe that I am here…" Jack's left hand idly traced random circles in the air as he spoke.

"… quite an experience, wasn't it, Jack?"

"Aye, lad, I was cold an' dead not long back, me body and soul trapped on The Other Side, all by it's miserable onesies… an' now here I am, alive and well … oh, physically, that is…mental health is still very much in question," he smiled, "but I digress..." He raised his head back up and regarded the pair in great seriousness; something that he did a great deal with the Turners these days.

"I am sitting here, on th' deck of me ship… warm t' th' touch, an' breathin"…both hands wavered in front of them airily for a moment before he reached up and lightly touched the small Kraken tooth that now adorned his bandana…"I wouldn't be here if it were not for th' two of you… granted, ye both had different reasons for savin' me, then..." he said quietly, "… but ye saved me, nonetheless…" There was no sound for a moment, save the flapping of the sails in the wind and the rippling of wood against water.

Will leaned forward and tapped Jack's knee. "Jack… we are past _all _of the dark times… you proved yourself, and where your heart lies… you are a part of us, now, just as we hope that Elizabeth and I have proved ourselves to you, and are a part of you, as well."

"…I missed th' two of ye when I left ye on the rampart th' day ye saved me from hangin' in Port Royal." Jack said. He hesitated, and quietly asked, "I know that I asked if anyone missed me when I was rescued from the Locker… an' no one wanted to answer. Have ye ever missed me?… befo' all o' the trouble wif Jones?" The captain didn't look at them; he turned his face into the darkness. "…I know that we are mates, now, but after all of th' things we been through, I didn't ever really know if... well... oh, never mind, it isn't important..." he grumbled.

"Yes, Jack. We missed you. More than you know. We are _past _the dark times, Jack." Will repeated, leaning forward to look make Jack look straight him in the eye. "Like I said, you are a part us."

"…but… do ye… like me…?" Jack's question was almost childlike. He pouted a bit.

"Yes, Jack. You're our friend. We like you." It seemed to Will to be a strange question, as he and Jack had been fighting side by side for so long.. for the same causes, for each other's lives... for each other's deep friendship.

Elizabeth looked at her two men exchanging looks - Will with his open, honest face, and Jack with his deep brown eyes, devoid of their usual hard edge, regarding the son of the man who for so long was his father figure, when his own father had ignored him. The corners of Jack's mouth turned up in a small smile… sometimes it was just good to hear something such as this exchange.

"I like both o' you, too, eh?" The captain said, brightly.

Elizabeth's eyes shone. It was like having a family, again. She tried not to think of her father. "Please pass the rum."

Jack and Will looked at her, then silently passed the rum.


	3. Chapter 3

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The three friends talked further into the night, taking note of the gathering lightning in the distance on the starboard side. Jack stroked his mustache thoughtfully and said, "What do you think, William? Have ye retained any of that superna… supernashru… wot is th' word?" He turned his head to the side, looking at absolutely no one... and then merely said, "... supernashrural... thank ye, mate..." Will looked at his friend, sadly... Jack had taken to talking to those shadows that inhabited his mind since his rescue from the Locker... shadows that only he could see.

"Tha's the word.. Supernashrural…Yeah, like I was sayin' … any of those talents from yer cursed time on th' Dutchman that ye can predict what tha' sight off starboard will present us wif?"

"It looks like it could turn into a good blow, but since we are sailing alongside it, we might miss it - … 'might' being the operative word, with the currents being what they are. The winds are in our favor, though…my observations are only that of a mortal sailor, and are not of any supernatural origins, I'm afraid."

Jack turned his head, beads jingling together. "Ye're good at this, lad. Told ye that ye're a natural at sailin'…ye learned a lot on th' Dutchman, ye know... I credits yer father wif teachin' ye these things."

Will smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Jack... I still find it amazing, myself."

"I don't." Elizabeth sighed, contentedly, "You were born with pirate blood, Will; you and Jack are both born sailors. I have had to learn all of this the hard way, and I will never know a dram of what you and Jack know by instinct, " Elizabeth frowned, a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"Ahhh, darling. That's is why you have meself an' dear William, here, to watch o'er ye… you need watchin'!" Jack drawled, with a wink. "Honestly, Izzy, you're a damn good pirate, y'self, we all know it, an' I won't say that lightly. Ye didn't come by it by birth, ye came by it wif intelligence an' savvy." Elizabeth smiled with pleasure at Jack's compliment. He did not give them to her freely, and she enjoyed it when he did.

She did love Jack, yes, she certainly did… just _not _in the way that she loved Will. Will was her soul mate and the love of her life, while Jack was the true friend that challenged her and pushed her to be herself, and not someone's ornamental wife. They bickered and bantered, and he could be a most annoying, exasperating man… but they cared deeply about each other. She had never slapped him in anger, as many women had, but had come close. Just as often, if not more, she had the urge to playfully push him or hit his arm, which flustered the captain, greatly - he would not hit her back, but once or twice he did threaten to push her overboard.

Elizabeth and Jack both knew that any attraction that they might have felt for each other in the past was not that of the true lovers that she and Will were. They had learned, the hard way, where to draw the line with each other, and had forgiven any transgressions that they'd had against each other. It had become a deep friendship, although there were things that Elizabeth had done to Jack in the recent past that she would never forgive herself for, even if he seemed to.

The lightning approached, with accompanying thunder, and Jack stood up and wandered over to the railing, swaying slightly as he watched the sea begin to boil. "William, come here…"

Will got up from his seat and stood next to Jack. He saw the frown on Jack's dark features and looked out over the ocean, and he, also, sensed something strange. The sea didn't look right. The sky was churning in a very odd way, the clouds turning the same dull black as the Pearl's sails. The lightning was becoming stronger and was hitting the water…

… the sea just didn't look right. And then, suddenly…

"Oh bugger!!! GIBBS! WHERE ARE YE?" Jack shouted at the top of his husky voice. "…oh bugger….GIBBS!!!! WE ARE IN FOR A BLOW!!!! All hands… BUGGER!"

Suddenly, Jack's ensuing profanities were drowned out by a huge clap of thunder - the sky lit up in blinding light and the Pearl rocked violently to one side. Everything that was not tied down tumbled haphazardly over the deck. Everything seemed to spin wildly, lightning searing down from the heavens and thunder shaking the very air around the ship. Then, just as suddenly, the ship righted itself, the lightning stopped, and all was frighteningly still. The Pearl was dead in the water, and the sea was a smooth and motionless as a pane of glass.

Jack picked himself up off of the opposite side of the deck from where he had been previously standing, shaking his head and looking about for Will, Elizabeth and the other crew members that had been above deck. His eyes had to adjust to a blindingly bright light, and he blinked hard to see before him. "Damn!"

Will clambered out from behind some rolling barrels, gently pulling a dazed Elizabeth up from a large pile of rope. "…Jack? What the hell is going on here?"

Jack gingerly picked his way across the debris strewn deck, still shaking his head and looking around in awe. "… where is everyone else? What th'…"

The trio looked up with wide eyes. The sky was churning directly above the Pearl, in colors of gray and green. The stars were intermittently sprinkled among the clouds, not fixed in the sky but swirling in great circles, like water being stirred in a barrel, interspersed with lightning and rumbles of thunder… the moon was gone.

…up on main mast's lowest yardarm, a figure appeared to them, filmy and dreamlike in flowing textures, then taking a translucent human form in front of the astonished witnesses to the wondrous scene….

"… Capt'in Jack Sparrow and Williyam Turnah!"

Jack's eyes got as big as saucers… he tore his eyes away from the sight and glanced at Will and Elizabeth, "… bloody hell, it's Tia… I mean, Calypso…."

Elizabeth wedged herself between Jack and Will and took their arms, as they continued to stare at the apparition. The voice emanated from the very core of the figure, unrecognizable in form, but familiar by sound.

"… I am appearin' to de t'ree of you in a form dat you will be able to unnerstan'. I wish'd to t'ank ya for de aid dat you gave in ordah t' set me free from my eart'ly body to return to de sea… de t'ree of ya are true of heart…" amusement crept into the voice above them…" even Jack Sparrow is true of heart… sometimes…"

Jack drew himself up indignantly - only an elbow to the ribs from Elizabeth kept him from saying anything stupid. Will's eyes had grown large - even his experiences on the Dutchman did not jade his feelings of wonder…

"… I felt dat it woul' be fittin' to reward ya wi' knowledge about you'selves… I have stopped time an' space in ordah to speak to all of ya about' sometin' dat you need to be knowin'…."

"… dere be a bond between Jack Sparrow and Williyam Turnah dat no one know about… the bond of shared family blood…:"

"… what…?" Will breathed, his ears not quite believing what he was hearing. He glanced over to Jack, who was regarding the apparition with a tilted head and openmouthed surprise.

"… two generation ago, dere was a wild an' free spirited woman from de island of Eire named Evangeline, who loved wit' all her heart an' soul… she fall for a han'some man of de sea w'en she were very young, and she bore him a chile even tho' he only love her and stay wid her for a short time. Their love was all comsumin', like fire, an' he knew he could not stay wid her. His first love was de sea, an' she know dat. She kep' de chile close to her heart, but he also run away to de sea, at a young age - jus' like his fathah before him."

"… Evangeline, many years later she fall in love wid anothah man - anothah man of de sea, but a true man of de heart. She marry him, an' bear him a son who would also be a man of de sea, but not as wild an' free as her firstborn son… dis son, he would be de anchor, as her firstborn had been de wind…"

Elizabeth glanced at both of her men… it struck her that Will and Jack looked so much alike in their amazement - they did not resemble each other, but were sharing something that involved both of them and that neither of them understood.. She was amazed and yet afraid for both of them, as she was starting to understand what was taking place - Will was strong and steadfast as an anchor, as Jack was as wild and spirited as the wind. She put her arms around each of them and pulled them close to her protectively.

"… I will tell you dis in order for you both to understan' each othah… and you'selves… you have been to hell an' back for each othah… an' have save each othah from de devil himself. Blood runs thick dan water… de first man dat Evangeline love, his name was Jeremiah Teague… his son was de out-of-wedlock fathah of wild Jack Sparrow, who was also born out-of-wedlock…"

Jack's eyes were as round as moons, as Will held his breath… Elizabeth held them both and squeezed her eyes closed.

"… Evangeline's second lover, de man dat she marry, his name be Elijah Turnah… his son be Williyam Turnah, de fathah of a man of destiny, Williyam Turnah de Second… husban' of Elizabet' Turnah… Evangeline, she den die at sea wit' her husban', Elijah… young Bill Turnah be made an orphan, an' he den go on to de sea, himself…"

"… Evangeline's sons, Captain Jonathan Teague and Bill Turnah do not know dat dey have half brothahs… Bill did not know dat he sailed wit' his own nephew, Jack Sparrow! … Captain Teague did not know dat he met wit' his own nephew's intended bride, Elizabet' at the meeting of de Brethren of de Coast - de very meeting to shape de future of de pirate world… no one know dat Jack Sparrow and Williyam Turnah de Second… are cousins."

Elizabeth could feel the breath escape from her husband in a rush… and surprisingly, she thought she could feel Jack tremble for a moment.

"… de t'ree of ye have come to love each othah as family of de heart… now ye will find out dat ye have love of de family of de blood, also… Jack Sparrow be dead until he be brought back from De Othah Side by dem dat love him, even though they deny dey love him at de time… Jack Sparrow was charmed in order to he'p t' change de bad t'ings dat was takin' place in de pirate world. De charm has ended; Jack Sparrow will become very ill because of terrible beast what had swallowed him an' de precious Pearl… him look in a good way now, but it were all de spell an' he will go down wit' sickness an' pain."

Elizabeth and Will stared at Jack, who was still utterly mesmerized by the sight before them, shaking his head slightly, as to deny that any of this was taking place.

"… Jack Sparrow will be near de death again… it will be up to him family to help him… dere is nuttin' dat can be done to stop his pain… it will happen. But it will he'p to draw dis new family together."

"… dis is my gift to ye… ye needed to know dese t'ings. Use dis knowledge wisely, de t'ree of ye. Ye all need each othah…"

Suddenly, Jack froze in place - not moving, not breathing, not blinking. Elizabeth looked at him in shock and whispered, "…Jack…? JACK?"

"… Williyam Turnah… I shall bestow on ye a special gift…clever Jack Sparrow will not be aware of dis, an' you are not to tell him… ye showed your great love for Elizabet' an' she show her love fo' you- de two o' you will fin' love for Jack Sparrow, also. De t'ree o' you help to return my lover, Davy Jones, to me…. Wit' all of my respec' to you, I bestow on you de gift of special sight so dat you see into the true heart of you cousin, Capt'in Jack Sparrow, for only a short time… dis shall help you, as you help Calypso… I will not tell you when or how to use dis gift, you must know, youse'f, when to look into him heart an' know him, for he does not tell dese t'ings himse'f. You need to know him, young Turnah an' Elizabet'… he is your family, as you are his ..."

Suddenly, there was a huge wall of lightning and a deafening clap of thunder - the sea churned and the Pearl lurched upward furiously. Elizabeth screamed at the top of her lungs as Will grabbed for her.


	4. Chapter 4

۞

Jack staggered to his feet, once again, looking around, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. Will and Elizabeth had been thrown against the outside wall of Jack's cabin - they were in each other's arms.

Will looked up and shouted, "JACK! Are you alright?"

Jack stared at Will wordlessly, his delicate hands fluttering wildly at the couple, his mouth opening and closing several times. "Wot th' bloody hell just happened????"

To their shock, Mr. Gibbs was standing at the wheel, looking down at the group as though they had lost their minds. "Are you three all right? Nothing happened, Cap'n! It's a beautiful evenin'."

Jack wobbled slowly over to the Turners and stared at them for several seconds. Will looked at him, and said softly, "…cousins…?"

Jack was silent. Elizabeth looked at both of them, taking it all in. They were all in shock. Will merely stared at the captain and repeated, "We're…cousins…?"

Jack looked at the younger man, his eyes suddenly hopeful… then that hope started to fade as Will continued to stare at Jack in utter silence. Jack's eyes looked hurt, and suddenly turned downward to the deck; his hands stopped in midair as if they, also, did not know what to say. Suddenly, Will became aware that Jack comprehended his silence as rejection.

"Will…" Jack started, slowly, "….I…you…."

"No, Jack, wait…" Will finally found his voice.

"…no, you wait, lad." Jack raised his eyes to Will's, now filled with sadness. One hand rubbed his chest. He swayed slightly, "… you don't have to acknowledge any o' this, ye know… I would understand… ye might not be proud t' be cousin to Captain Jack Sparrow…even half cousins, as it were..." Jack's roughed edged voice trailed off. "… after all o' the things that I have done as a pirate… not good…".

"… why would I not wish to acknowledge having blood kin? I was orphaned when I was eleven…" Will was genuinely puzzled, and searched the captain's face.

But it's me, lad… it's _me_ you're related to… I'm a disgustin', awful, despicable, filthy pirate… I've done bad things…" Jack's eyes looked everywhere except at William.

"Recently, so have I, Jack, so have I. We have both done bad things, but for the right reasons in the end. I would like to think that we both turned out to be good men and best friends. I should be very _proud _that I am blood relation to Captain Jack Sparrow. I want to be your cousin."

"…you w'….you _do_???" Jack looked up at the young blacksmith-turned-pirate in surprise. "William…you WANT t' be cousins wif me?"

Will laughed a little, "Yes, Jack…I want to be your cousin."

Now it was Jack's turn to stare in silence. He blinked hard at Will, looking like a dreadlocked owl.

Elizabeth smiled at Jack and said, "That would make me your cousin-in-law, would it not?"

"…aye…"

Jack looked from one to the other and back again in the darkness, fighting back what Elizabeth thought were tears. His head tilted from side to side… he looked down at the deck, then back up at Will, his hands held up before him appealingly… "…I never had a real family… I should be very proud t' call William Turner an' his bonny lass… my family…if they'd have me." Jack had a small, tentative smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Will smiled, nodded and put his hands onto Jack's bony shoulders.

Jack breathed hard for a few moments, then suddenly threw his arms out, looked up, and shouted, "MR. GIBBS! RUM!!!" He waved his arms so hard that every trinket in his hair jingled. He had turned so quickly to Gibbs that he lost his balance, and nearly toppled over in his exuberance. They all laughed and caught Jack in his unbalanced state, before he capsized like a small, bobbling boat. After recovering from their captain's outburst, the crew stared at the trio, as if they had all gone utterly and completely daft. There was no doubt about Jack, but Will and Elizabeth, too?

For all of their surprised happiness and ensuing celebrating, the Turners could not forget Calypso's warning - they were both thinking the same thing as they all let this wondrous news sink in. It was a relief to let go of all of the unhappiness that had befallen them all in recent months, it was exciting to them all to welcome good news, no matter how surprising.

It was not without worry, however. Will and Elizabeth wondered if, and when, their best friend… and new found cousin… would be stricken down, again, by the affects of the mighty Kraken. Perhaps the dark times were not over, after all...

Several days passed and the trio wondered if Calypso's prediction would not come true. Jack never felt better in his life, and he dismissed Calypso's prophecy with a flippant wave of his hand as so much bilge water.

The captain took the opportunity to finally open up some and share small, careful bits about himself. He cautiously entertained Will and Elizabeth with an uncharacteristic openness, telling them that he had been born on the very waters that they were traversing. He explained that he came into the world on Captain Jonathan Teague's ship off of the coast of Colonial India during a typhoon. The couple were not sure if the last part about the typhoon was true, but of course it was always a good embellishment to the story. He did not elaborate further about his parentage, but Will thought that it was a good start at getting to know his mysterious cousin better. Such fortuitous news Calypso had gifted them with!

Elizabeth had even been bold enough to ask the captain when his date of birth was. He thought about it at great length, with a graceful finger poised at his chin, but said that he was not sure. October 20, he thought, but he did not mention a year. Elizabeth made a note of the date, anyway. Even if it was not truly correct, she was guessing that Jack might have never received a gift to commemorate the day honoring his birth, and she wanted to make sure that he did.

Jack seemed to be most curious about their lives as children. Jack Sparrow had never seemed interested in such things in the past; he seemed to only be interested in the present. But he had changed a great deal since his terrible ordeal on The Other Side - everyone seemed to notice that Jack's emotions, both good and bad, were much closer to the surface, as was his pleasant oddness. His trust in others had been thoroughly shaken during his lifetime, but he finally seemed to be feeling a strong connection to the young pair that he had grown so fond of; he was genuinely interested in their stories about growing up. Some of their stories were merry, many of them were very sad, but the captain listened to each intently, and without interruption.

He even seemed curious about Elizabeth's stories of growing up as the privileged daughter of the governor of Jamaica, which rather surprised her. She knew he was listening to her, even though his head would tilt to one side a bit - his eyes would get a distant look as she would talk, and his hands would grow still. He would take in the words and think about them, as if his jaded mind was simply learning how to learn, again. He would sometimes be seen later on, high up in the crow's nest, dangling his feet over the edge of the platform, or straddling the Pearl's bowsprit like a child on a tree limb, serenely staring at the surging water below him, very deep in thought. This always scared the Turners to death; one rogue wave and they could lose Jack forever to the sea...

Elizabeth would talk about memories of boring dinners with the upper class; she knew that Jack considered social class separation to be the epitome of foolishness, invented by the upper class to make themselves feel that much more superior. He never could understand why, in the past, Will had been embarrassed by his background as a blacksmith. Jack considered that trade "much more better" than being the Governor of Jamaica, and right up there with being a pirate as far as being a good occupation was concerned, even though governors had a lot more money. Will had since grown much more confident and proud as a pirate; Jack was quite proud of the younger man, himself.

Will thought that Jack might have had origins in what might be thought of as an even lower social class than himself, but he could seem to catch an opportune moment to ask Jack anything about himself that he would hear anything to be considered truthful. He thought that he might wait… Jack seemed to be having thoughts of being more forthcoming with his past, especially when in his cups, and Will thought he would try to be patient with his newfound cousin. Cousins… still so hard to believe, yet completely and easily acceptable, given the fact that he and Jack were very much alike, at times, whether Will had wanted to admit it in the past, or not. They were even more alike nowadays… Will had learned much more about the ways of the world - what a man can do, and what a man can't do; words that Jack Sparrow had blessed him with during their first voyage.

Will told Jack about the times that his father, Bootstrap Bill would come home to visit. Jack was particularly interested hearing about the gifts that Bill brought home to his son, and Will suspected, from Jack's sparkling eyes, that he might have helped Bill choose them. Will was careful to make sure that Jack knew that he no longer resented the time that Bill had spent away, especially in light of his father telling him that he had chosen the life of pirating with no influence from anyone. Will had tried to make peace with that part of his life, knowing that his father did love him. Will suspected that his mother had been ashamed of his father; but Will now knew the truth, and was no longer ashamed of his own pirate blood.

Jack even honestly admitted to Will that he had been a bit jealous of Bill's love for his son. "But Jack, I was just a babe. Why were you so jealous of me?" "Because he was your father… and not mine. I was jealous because your father loved ye, an' showed it. I don't know that my father loved me." Jack grew very quiet after that, and the two men fell into silence, feet propped up on a barrel on the deck; sipping their rum and watching the wind rippling the sails. The subject was dropped.


	5. Chapter 5

The prophecy did come true. Jack was not to escape Calypso's prediction, and the Turners were not nearly as prepared as they thought they thought they were for the events that transpired.

The sea had been choppy all day and Jack felt that it was best that he take the helm from Mr. Cotton, who, even though he was a superb helmsman, did not have the stamina that Jack had for guiding the Black Pearl through bad weather. Jack thrived on this, so Mr. Cotton generally acquiesced to his captain and let him take over when the need arose.

On this evening, all had taken to their quarters to rest after fighting the restless waters and high winds all day. It wasn't until Will noticed that the ship seemed to be going aimlessly in the churning sea and not in a straight course that he wondered if Jack was alright.

"Elizabeth, have you noticed that the Pearl is turning at random? Why is Jack letting her do that, and not holding her straight?"

Elizabeth looked at her husband, and they both read each others' mind. Something was not right with the captain up on the quarterdeck, if he was allowing the Pearl to take her own course.

They both hurried from their cabin to find Mr. Gibbs, then go above to find Jack...

They found Jack crumpled in a heap on the floor of the quarterdeck, the seas were tossing the Pearl with the wheel spinning madly. The wind was picking up dreadfully, and Gibbs struggled to grab the wheel without having the handles break several fingers. By now, other crewmembers had rallied to Gibbs' bellowing orders to the deck to give a hand, and Will ran to Jack's side, dropping to his knees beside his fallen friend. By now, Elizabeth was also at their side, and gently helped Will to turn Jack over. They were shocked.

Jack was pale as paper, his eyes closed, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He had apparently been stricken quite suddenly; he had tried to make it to the railing to vomit, and did not make it in time. He had wretched up blood and bile, plus god knows what. Jack struggled against their hands upon him, getting to his knees in order to get up, but the spasms started again, and more blood came spewing up. Will wrapped his arms around the captain, trying to hold his hair back and hold him up - it was then that he realized that Jack was throwing up rank, rotting seawater along with his own blood - seawater from being taken down by the Kraken. "Elizabeth, this is it! This is Calypso's prophecy! Aftereffects of the Kraken."

Jack could not speak, could not open his eyes, he even struggled to draw in one breath during the spasms. He was turning blue. Will was still holding Jack up off of the deck up by his waist. The young pirate put his face down next to Jack's and shook him, "BREATHE! Take in _breath_, you damned scalawag! Come on, BREATHE!!!" Jack could not make a sound, he could not move, all he could do was double over in agony, violently ill. Elizabeth was trying valiantly to hold Jack's hair back to keep it out of the way. It was already too late for some of the dreadlocks, as they had gotten in the way in Jack's uncontrolled vomiting.

Just then, a huge wave hit the Pearl broadside, sending them sliding across the quarterdeck. Will and Elizabeth struggled to their feet next to Gibbs at the wheel, and looked about for Jack, who had been slammed against the railing on the opposite side. A sail and lines came loose, ropes snapping in the unrelenting wind like whips. Jack opened his eyes and gathered his wits about himself for a split second, just in time to look up and see one of the massive sails start to collapse over all of them.

He quickly mustered up all of the strength that he had left in order to get his feet under himself, and with all of the energy that he had, he slammed himself, full force, against Will, who fell backwards against Elizabeth and Gibbs, the momentum sending them sprawling toward the steps down to the main deck, tumbling down and out of harm's way, as the Pearl heaved up on the heavy sea once again. The sail collapsed over the quarterdeck, and with a huge CRACK, part of the mizzen mast came with it. Jack was under it.

"JACK!!!!" Will screamed, scrambling to his feet as Elizabeth had already desperately scampered up the steps and over the heap of black sailcloth. "Jack! Jack, where are you???"

Mr. Gibbs shook off the stars that were in his vision, ordering another crewman to take the wheel, which was miraculously still intact and spinning wildly. He joined the search in the collapsed sail, rigging and mast to find his captain. "Cap'n!!! Where are ye, lad??? JACK!!!"

"Will! Here!" Elizabeth screamed above the roar of the sea. There was a stream of blood slowly mixing with the water on the deck, trickling out from under a part of the broken mast. Will nearly fell trying to reach her. He desperately tried to lift the mast with his bare hands, then took out his dagger and swiftly but carefully started to cut away the sail cloth, fearing that Jack had been crushed.

What they found nearly sickened them both. The captain had apparently taken the blow to his head. His scalp was split open at the hairline - blood was everywhere - and his face was already starting to discolor on the right side where it had slammed against the hard wooden deck. Will gathered the limp, unconscious man into his arms, hefted him up, and started to negotiate his way across the debris.

Gibbs made his way over as fast as he could, "Will! How be Jack?"

"Not good. I must get him to his cabin immediately! Gibbs, meet us there with your box of medical supplies NOW. Jack is bleeding, badly!"

The seas still raged outside, but the Pearl was in good hands and the emergency at hand was treating the Pearl's heart and soul. Will and Elizabeth hurried into Jack's cabin and carefully held Jack up in a chair, tilting his head back onto Will's shoulder so that they could work on his injuries. Will hoped and prayed that Jack did not wake up and start wretching again; the head wound was bad, and Jack was bleeding all over everything. They both struggled against the rocking of the ship.

Elizabeth took over. She quickly removed Jack's bandana … "Will, hold Jack this way so that I can try to put some pressure on this wound with something". She looked around and grabbed a shirt off of the top of a trunk. "Jack, forgive me for using your shirt, but I have to use something until Mr. Gibbs comes with bandages. This bandana is already soaked".

Jack was out cold, and it was a good thing. The entire right side of his face was darkening and swelling, and Elizabeth grimly checked inside of Jack's mouth to see if he had any teeth missing, a brave action considering how he had been vomiting just moments before. She was hoping that no bones in his face were broken, and was desperately trying to stop the terrible bleeding from the gash on Jack's head by pressing the shirt hard to his head, holding the gash closed with her very fingers.

She worked as fast as she could with what she had at hand, as Will held Jack up an with a alarmed look on his face - Jack was losing a lot of blood fast. Just then, Joshamee Gibbs appeared with a medical kit and an armload of towels. "Mother's love… " he muttered, when he saw the Turners, covered in blood, themselves, administering to the captain.

Mr. Pintel appeared with two buckets of clean water, and scurried away to get more. Elizabeth and Gibbs assessed Jack's wound, cleaned it properly with rum, and then started stitching.

The wound required 12 stitches, and Elizabeth finally tied off the last one, grateful that Mr. Gibbs was there to tell her what to do. Gibbs' hands were large, and Elizabeth's tiny hands were better suited to this sort of thing. She smiled tiredly as she finished, and said, "Who would think that the governor's daughter would be on a ship, stitching up the poor broken head of a pirate captain?"

Will looked over Jack's head at her handiwork. "Well, if you were to be the wife of a blacksmith, I expect that you might have had to learn to do this anyway, my love."

Elizabeth quickly undid Jack's assortment of braids, and attempted to rinse his abundant hair of the blood; she gently combed it out with her fingers. She was really rather surprised that Jack's long hair did not seem as dirty as one would expect - she thought that pirates prided themselves on how grimy they could be, but Jack surprised her. She said nothing of it, but shook her head slightly at the thought.

She was also surprised to see that Jack had two silver hoop earrings in his left ear. She had never known that… his hair hid is ears most of the time. Will had also recently started to wear a gold earring in his left ear and she idly wondered if he knew of Jack's. One more similarity between the two of them.

They bandaged Jack's head carefully, Will holding him up securely the whole time. His face was tight with worry, as Jack's throat had started working - Will could not tell if it was to try to speak or to become sick. "It's alright, Jack. It's Will. I'm here… I have you. It's alright." Jack's face was pale as death, and he was starting to go into shock.

Once the bandages were in place, Will and Gibbs began to strip Jack of his blood soaked garments. Elizabeth was nearly insulted when Will asked her to leave the cabin; they settled on her averting her eyes after she pulled Jack's prized boots off, and his britches were stripped. They cleaned him up thoroughly with towels and water, then Will wrapped Jack securely in a blanket. He and Gibbs carefully lifted the captain to his bunk, wrapping him warmly in more blankets and making sure that there were extra pillows. A bucket was placed next to the bunk.

They were all exhausted. Gibbs felt of Jack's cheek with the back of his hand, then sat on the edge of the bunk for only a moment. "He is like a son t' me, ye know," he said, gruffly.

Will nodded. "We know, Josh."

"… he stuck wi' me when everyone else thought I was a washed up drunk." Gibbs' voice was a bit hoarse with emotion. "I migh' have been a drunk, but Jack knew I was still a good man…"

Elizabeth came over to her old friend, Joshamee Gibbs, and placed her hands on his shoulders. He looked up to her and sighed heavily. "We'll take good care of Jack, Mr. Gibbs." Gibbs placed a beefy hand over her petite one, and said, "I know, Missy." He got up to leave his captain in the young couples' hands.

As he went to close the door, Will looked up, "Joshamee…?"

"…aye, Will?"

"Jack is my cousin. We just found out."

Gibbs looked at him in surprise.

"… Calypso visited…"

"… aye, Will. I knew somethin' strange had taken place aboard th' Pearl th' other evenin'. I should like t' hear 'bout it. T'would make a fine addition to the legends of Captains Jack Sparrow Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann."

"Elizabeth and I are no longer captains, Josh. Only Captain Jack Sparrow."

"… Master Will, ye and Miss Elizabeth are captains t' me, even without yer ships. Jack was, ye know."

"Alright, Josh."

"I'm goin' t' check on th' damages - Mr. Cotton is at th' helm, an' we have taken in sails 'til I see things by daylight. Take care o' th' cap'n… come find me if ye be needin' me."

"We will." Elizabeth approached Gibbs and wrapped an arm around him for a moment. "You are like family to us, also, Joshamee Gibbs…"

Gibbs ducked his head down and returned her embrace, nodding, not trusting his voice, and wordlessly closed the door behind him.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's note: **Our poor Jack is so sick in this chapter, but there is one part that has a bit of humor, at his expense. Of course, it brings back a memory that will bother Elizabeth, and she will feel a bit guilty for a comment made to Jack in the past. More about that in later chapters. Thanks! Pirate Cat_

Will and Elizabeth were awakened to Jack's restless stirring, and ensuing vomiting. They woke to his sounds of distress and his wide, confused, glazed eyes. They quickly turned him over in the bunk to viciously heave more blood and seawater into the bucket for several minutes, after which he went limp, and went unconscious again, trembling and soaked in sweat.

Elizabeth looked up to see that faint light was making it's way through the windows of Jack's cabin; it was the moon - the stormy weather had passed and the ship was no longer rocking wildly. She was not sure how long they had been dozing… she turned to Will, who was rubbing his eyes. She felt guilty for falling asleep while they were supposed to be watching over their sick friend. "I'm sorry, Jack." she thought, for the millionth time, recently.

Will reached out and felt Jack's face with concern. "He's fevered." were his only words, as he felt Jack's neck and the uninjured left side of his face. He reached down into a basin of water for a clean cloth, and started to gently wipe Jack down with it. "Elizabeth. Look." The couple was shocked to see that strange new injuries had made themselves present during their sleep; purple bruises and deep gashes all over his body that suspiciously seemed to be shaped like rough tooth marks. None of them required stitching, but were bloody, and required cleaning and bandaging before infection set in.

Jack stirred, and moaned very softly as Will and Elizabeth tended to him. He was clearly in pain, burning with fever. His hands moved slightly.

"Shhhh. It's alright, cousin. We're here." Will whispered soothingly as he tried his best to comfort. "…shhhh. It's alright… we're not leaving you…"

Thus the night went on, with intermittent wretching, interrupted sleep, and a feeling of helplessness. As Elizabeth bathed the captain's scarred, battered, tattooed body, she wondered how Captain Jack Sparrow had gotten the scars, some of them quite dreadful. Was it any wonder why he was rarely seen without a shirt, no matter how hot the Caribbean sun had been? Too many stares would have greeted him - where did those gunshot wounds on the right side of his chest really come from, and were those scars from a flogging that covered his back? A knife wound on his thigh? What about his left arm… the cause of that gruesome scar was too hard to contemplate. Too many questions might be asked, so he suffered the heat and kept a shirt on.

In fact, it was a wonder that Jack had made Elizabeth privy to some of those scars when they were marooned on Rum Island together by Hector Barbossa - she was asking too many questions that Jack didn't want to answer. But she had demanded the truth from him about the legends that she had heard about him, and he gave her the truth. It was ugly, the truth. Indeed, Will also now bore scars that he was self conscious about. Will carried inner wounds that he learned from, and had grown from. What kind of life did Jack Sparrow really have that left this beautiful man so marked for the rest of his life? She and Will both wondered what inner scars Jack bore; and was he a better man for them, or was the damage too great?

Will was startled by unintelligible sounds from the captain. Will got out of the chair that he had been occupying and sat on the edge of the bunk, reaching for Jack's thin arms. For some reason, Will was careful not to put his hand over the deeply branded white "P" on Jack's forearm.

"Jack?"

Jack's eyes opened a crack and tried hard to focus on Will's face above him. He licked his lips and then tried to speak… only the words that came from him were not in English, and were in a barely audible croak.

"What did you say, Jack? I can't understand you."

The captain had closed his eyes and started to breath rapidly. He opened his eyes a bit again, and repeated his question. Will still did not understand his words.

Elizabeth had joined Will next to the bunk this time, and reached down to take Jack's hand in hers. His eyes shifted her way, and tried to focus on her… he failed, closed his eyes, and opened them again.

"What were you trying to say, darling?"

Jack's hoarse whisper repeated the same question to her, but to no avail.

"In English, Jack… we can't understand what you are saying, love."

Jack gave up. He closed his pained eyes and his breathing slowed again. He fell back into deep, heavy unconsciousness.

The young couple looked at each other in silence. They wondered what he was trying to ask them, and felt badly that they could not respond...

Mr. Gibbs knocked on the cabin door a short time later, and came in with a tray of steaming mugs of coffee from the galley. Gratefully, Will took his mug and inhaled deeply. Elizabeth smiled her thanks to Gibbs, stirring in a bit of the precious sugar from the sugar tin. Morning was dawning over the horizen - its first soft fingers of sunlight stretching up from the sea.

Will looked over at the quiet Jack and said, offhandedly, " I never realized how thin Jack is until now - he certainly is light as a feather to carry. So much of what he wears is the trappings of Captain Jack Sparrow, and underneath all of the belts, boots and bandana, he is rather scrawny, isn't he?" The younger man smiled, knowing that the others knew that he meant it as a term of endearment for the man who, indeed, looked quite frail, in his nest of pillows and blankets.

Elizabeth sat next to Jack on the bunk, regarding the sick man, and brushing his thick, weathered dreadlocks back from one of his bare shoulders. "He really looks much different right now, doesn't he? Without the kohl around his eyes and bandana, I can actually see all of his face. He looks quite a lot… _younger_", she said, quietly. She lightly felt of Jack's cheek, concerned that he was still hot with fever, but at least quiet, for the moment.

Gibbs looked at the pair over his steaming mug of coffee. "Jack has never been a stocky man, and aye, he is quite a few years younger than most think 'e is. Jack became a captain at a youthful age, an' he tries to give the impression tha' he is older than 'e is, so as t' not undermine 'is authority, as it were."

"Do you know how old my cousin is, Josh?"

"No, Will, I don't. Jack's careful not t' share t' things much about 'imself. I'm guessin' tha' he would be in 'is 30s." Gibbs sighed. "He's th' best cap'n what ever lived. Born to it. But there are things that have happened to him before I e'er met 'im that unhinged him some, an' he has come more unhinged since… well… you know." Gibbs paused, then went on apologetically.

"E'er since I've known th' man, he has had trouble keepin' himself rooted in reality, so t' speak. It's my job as first mate to help keep Jack goin' in th' right direction, but my job has gotten harder since he tends to 'lose 'imself more, it seems. I'm not complainin', mind ye… the Cap'n can't help it, most ways. Like I said before… he's like me own, an' I try me best t' help him. He's th' smartest, quickest man I've ever met… but not always th' wisest. His heart overrules 'is mind, at times. Look at 'im… how much more is th' cap'n goin' t' have t' pay for his debt t' Davy Jones? A deal tha' he made wi' his wounded heart, an' not a sound mind."

Gibbs sadly leaned back in his chair, watching Elizabeth gently wash Jack's still face and chest, and he took a sip of his coffee, wishing that he was sharing a cup with his captain. Will thought it best to change the subject.

"Do you happen to know if Jack is fluent in other languages, Josh? I know that he can speak some French and some Spanish, and I know that he can read and write… his shelves are full of books, over there."

"Aye, lad, tha's why 'is cabin always smells of leather." Gibbs brightened a bit. "It's th' bindin' on th' books. Jack has had a bit o' schoolin'… he was a cartographer's apprentice for a time until he went back t' sea with his ship, Th' Wicked Wench."

Elizabeth interrupted, "So why does his cabin smell of coconut? Limes and rum, I can understand, as I know that he loves them both, but I could smell coconut, of all things. I find it odd. HE always smells of salt air, spiced rum, and… coconut?" She questioned.

Gibbs chuckled and shook his head. "What a question, lass. Look under th' bunk… under the cloth that ye find there."

Curiously, Elizabeth did so, and was astonished. "A wash basin! With cakes of soap, and towels! And … a bottle of hair oil with coconut essence?"

"Smell his hair."

"What???? I shall not!"

"Go ahead! The dreads look like snakes, but they won't bite ya, lass! Th' cap'n does try t' keep clean, though it's hard on a ship at sea. Always tried t' be presentable as a cap'n…even as a pirate cap'n. As ye know, fresh water be hard t' come by, so even th' cap'n is a bit dirty at times. But some don't really like t' be grimy all th' time - Jack's one o' those. One o' his quirks.

Elizabeth gingerly picked up one of Jack's dreadlocks and sniffed it slightly. Her eyes widened and she said, "Hair oil with coconut essence! How vain! And he won't share the use of the soaps?" She laughed, softly… then she looked at Jack's still, pale, handsome face. Her own face fell. She murmered, "I know that you can't hear me, but I didn't mean that. I know I've hurt your feelings before over personal comments like that, haven't I? The things that I've done to you…"

Will and Gibbs raised their eyebrows and knew that they needed to lighten the mood as much as it could be, with Jack so sick. Will cleared his throat and asked Gibbs, "So Joshamee, you didn't answer me… does Jack fluently speak any other languages besides English?"

Gibbs looked down at his mug, uncomfortably. "Was th' Cap'n talkin' in his sleep?"

"Aye, you could say that. And it did not sound like French or Spanish to us…"

"More'n' likely it was 'is native language. He tends to rattle on that way when he's sick or injured."

"Native language? And that is…."

Gibbs cleared his throat. "Well, Will, Jack didn't learn English first, ye see…."

Will and Elizabeth looked at him in silence.

"Well, ye see…" Gibbs peered over at Jack to make sure that he was not cognizant of the conversation. "

"Ye see, Jack's native language is Gaelic… Irish Gaelic."

The Turners just stared at Gibbs, then Jack, then back at Gibbs. Irish Gaelic. Will shook his head in frustration. One more layer of mystery to peel away from the enigma that was Captain Jack Sparrow.


	7. Chapter 7

The captain's condition did not improve as the hours went on, and he began to mumble in a feverish delirium. Will was becoming very concerned that Jack had been asking, perhaps, for water, before, and Jack was definitely not speaking English, now.

Elizabeth kept talking to him, trying to reach him, hoping that he would hear her and understand her. He continued to lay in his bunk in terrible pain, and occasionally he would have stomach spasms again, but only a small amount of the bloody matter would come up into the bucket. The main concern, now, was the fever and the injuries that simply appeared over his body, and the bad head injury from the night before. Jack's right eye was almost swelled shut, and blackened badly. In addition to the fever, a new problem had arisen - intermittently, the captain was overcome with incredible cold… his entire body shook, his teeth chattered and even his lips and fingers turned blue. He was even cold to their touch, and it was at those times that the couple would try to pull the blankets more tightly around him, and try to warm him while trying not to cause more pain. It was during these times that Jack would spill forth with hoarse foreign words, with both of the Turner's names uttered in great abundance.

Will sighed heavily and looked at his young wife. "I wonder… if I should try to use the 'gift' that Calypso told us about. Elizabeth, I am afraid for Jack now, and I am wondering if I can help him by getting into… his mind… maybe it will help us to help him… we can't understand what he is trying to say to us…we don't know if he's hot or if he's cold, if he wants water." His voice was rough with worry, but he was willing to put aside how tired he was if it meant helping Jack, and learning more than the captain was willing to tell Will.

Elizabeth stared at her hands, folded in her lap. "I think that you should. Jack would never let you try it if he was conscious… I think that this is what Calypso meant."

Will looked at Jack, who was now quiet. He mused, "I am not even sure how to go about it. I suppose that one should just try whatever makes sense." He shrugged.

Will got up from his chair and carefully sat himself on the bunk, next to Jack so as not to cause much movement, and placed both hands on Jack's blanket covered chest. He looked at Elizabeth, who simply nodded. He then bowed his head, closed his eyes, and concentrated…

Elizabeth stared in wonder at her husband. Something was happening. Will seemed to go deeply into his state of concentration, nodding very slowly as his hands rested lightly over Jack's heart. She pulled her chair closer in order to watch.

It was not the rays of dawning sun that was warming the cabin so, she was sure. The angle of the sun was not so that it should cause it. It was what was happening between the young pirate - her Will - and Jack.

An hour passed without one single movement from Will, and Elizabeth moved only to belatedly get up and go lock the door of the cabin. It would never do for anyone to knock or come in and break whatever spell might be working its magic within these walls. Only she and Will were made privy to what was going to happen - not even Jack had heard what Calypso had told them.

Elizabeth went back to her chair and looked closer at Will, and was shocked to see tears rolling down his cheeks. Jack's face had not changed, but Will's was wet, and his breathing became faster.

And so the next few hours passed, with no sounds around her except the creaking of the Pearl's dark timbers. Elizabeth sat and watched as Will learned many of the secrets of Captain Jack Sparrow's past...

Will awakened around noon, sitting on the bunk with his back against the headboard. Elizabeth had pulled her chair even closer to the bunk, and was now holding Will's right hand in hers. Will's left arm was carefully draped over Jack's shoulder, so as not to hurt him, and his hand was still on Jack's chest. Jack's bandaged head was leaned into Will's left side. Jack was still unconscious.

Will carefully got up, and gently moved Jack's head over into the pillows. He sat down in the large heavy chair that he had claimed earlier, then leaned forward and looked into Elizabeth's eyes. The look of wonder that his eyes held made her catch her breath. "What did you see, Will?"

Will shook his head and looked down for a moment. He turned back to Elizabeth, took her hands in his, and said, "Oh Elizabeth, where do I begin? I cannot believe what happened here. I cannot believe…" he paused, " … what this man has endured…"

Elizabeth squeezed his hands. "It might be best to start at what you remember first, Will."

Will took a deep breath, and said, "I remember seeing a young woman's body on bed, and a very small dark haired boy. The woman was very beautiful and dainty, like a doll - long, dark, thick hair, very dark skin, and high delicate cheekbones. Jack looks just like his mother, Elizabeth…

"… her … body? His mother?"

"Yes. There were women there, wrapping her up to take her away, saying, 'Maggie was taken by the fever, alright,' and the little boy was crying in the corner. He could not have been only about 6 or 7 years old, perhaps. There were two men standing there, looking at him, as the women carried the body out of the cottage to a cart… I could understand what the men were saying - it was English, with heavy Irish brogues… Oh Elizabeth, the things that they said, and Jack could not understand English. They called him 'the little gypsy wretch', and 'pirate's bastard son', and said ' his old man won't ever come back to fetch him.'"

"… the next thing I remember was that they picked up him up and took him outside - they went one way, the cart with his mother's body went the other. He was screaming and struggling, but was so small that he could not free himself. They hit him to make him be quiet… told him to 'shut it, Jack, or we'll feed ye t' th' pigs'…. Then things went dark and all I can remember from then was a misty room, some other men exchanging money, and one of them… a sailor, I think, grabbing Jack by the arm and dragging him away, yelling, 'shut up, gypsy bastard, I paid good money fer ye! Ye're me slave, now…"

Elizabeth stared in horrified silence.

"… after that, I saw a ship's hold, and Jack huddled in a corner, shackled to an iron ring set into the cabin's wall. He had a bloody nose, and was filthy. I think that he started becoming a bit mental even then. He wasn't crying, just staring with hard, defiant eyes and a trembling chin. There were voices… men saying, 'He can't even speak English, the little Irish hooligan. Just Gaelic or Celtic, don't know which… just know that he is a little heathen, the filthy bastard son of a pirate and a gypsy whore. Ain't even got his father's name - just his mother's - Sparrow. If he dies, no one will give a damn'… then someone grabbed him, slapped him across the head - split open his eyebrow… 'time for you to get back to work, you worthless little slime…' Jack was starting to understand English then, but not enough to always understand what was expected of him… he was beaten a lot…"

Elizabeth stared at the quiet figure in the bunk. Shackles. How well Jack had known shackles in his life.

Will ran his hands through his curly hair. "Jack learned what being alone was very early in his life. He had been enslaved, simply because he was half dark-skinned gypsy. But even in slavery, he was aboard a ship, and felt more at home on the sea than he ever had with his mother on land. He became self reliant even at that age, and was smarter than anyone else on that ship. He was even thinking of ways to escape, but never was able to seize the 'opportune moment'…"

"..the next thing that I saw was Jack's father, Captain Teague - my uncle. Somehow he had found Jack, killed the slave master, and rescued him away from slavery, but it must have been some time later, as Jack seems to have learned 'mariner English'- I would imagine that's why he doesn't have a strong Irish brogue. They were at what seemed to be a church. Teague was telling him that it was for the best that he stay with the parish priest… another place in Ireland, it seems, part of the vision was spoken in Gaelic. Teague left him behind with the priest to learn to read and write in English, lining the church's coffers with swag to protect his son, but after a time, Jack ran away and went back to sea."

Elizabeth handed Will a cup of water and whispered, "Jack was sold into slavery as a child…". Will drank thirstily, "Jack had already started running from things, even then. His mother was dead and his father had already left him behind twice. He had an instinct to run - he just wanted to fly away…."


	8. Chapter 8

۞

Will related several visions to Elizabeth, about Jack excelling in reading and writing, and becoming a cartographer's apprentice as he got older - a sea captain that had taken kindly to the youth thought that he had artistic talent and hoped to help the young man learn a good trade; since he was very small and frail looking for his age, the captain worried that the boy's cockiness and rebelliousness would get him killed. Jack supplemented his pockets with back street gambling, and, oddly enough, also took up tattooing to make money. It seemed that he had more than one outlet for his artistic abilities.

Young teenaged Jack also had discovered drinking, and taverns, and enjoyed mixing with the sailors, although he told them very little about himself. He found comrades in the sailors - they seemed to like the smiling, fearless lad - and he started to become the freewheeling Captain Jack Sparrow early on.

He also discovered the opposite sex. The prostitutes thought him to be very charming and handsome, good with large words, and he enjoyed their company now and then, knowing full well that they only cared for his coins; it made him feel loved and worthwhile, if only for an hour or two. The whores used him, he used them - they were square, in his mind, even if it left him cold and sad. Everyone wants to be loved, but his own mind worked against him... he had feelings for only one woman in his homeland of Ireland, but he felt unworthy of her... she was the daughter of a county nobleman and he had been sold into slavery...they had kept in touch, and he had feelings for her... but Will sensed that something was wrong, there... vexation...

So Jack learned to push - no, _force_ - his dark feelings deep down inside of himself… he became known for his air of confidence, and glib tongue. He had every reason to become confident - he had survived this far, against tough odds. Young Jack was the one that could drink the most, lie the easiest, sing the loudest, always off-key, and pilfer everyone in the room blind whilst making his exit. He denied to himself that there were missing pieces to the puzzle of his life, but tried not to dwell upon it often.

"… has Jack ever really been in love, Will? Did you sense that?"

"… I don't know… I'm sure that he runs from it, like he runs from everything else…"

"…but what about happiness…?"

"… Jack's happiness is freedom from shackles of all kinds… Jack's happiness is the Black Pearl and the boundless sea. He is part of the sea. Perhaps he might have fallen in love, but if he has, he has pushed it far down inside of himself, and I could not see it. I couldn't really … I just couldn't really tell. I think that there is someone... but she has vexed him, and as a result he is afraid of love."

"… Jack is afraid of love…?"

The handsome young man sighed, "We can't change that, Elizabeth… he's just that way… we just have to try to help him not be afraid, because he is painfully lonely." Will suddenly remembered something, "Elizabeth, where is the lace handkerchief that Jack wears around his wrist?"

"His 'trophy' lace?" Elizabeth frowned with distaste. "It's here, with the rest of his clothes - I had Mr. Pintel put them to soak them to clean them of blood, and the lace is drying, here."

"Keep it close to him, He may tell all of us that it's a trophy from a beautiful woman… it's not a 'trophy'… he lied, of course. He kept it hidden on the Pearl and Barbossa never found it. Since getting the Pearl back, he has kept it tied to his wrist. He's had it since he was little. It's Irish lace, and it was made by his mother's own hands …"

Jack hooked up with an another sailor named William Turner - the other sailors called him "Bootstrap Bill", but Jack called him by his Christian name. William was wise beyond his 20-some years, and enjoyed the wild, young Jack's free spirited ways. Bill's best and most amused description of Jack Sparrow was that the young man was "interestin'". Jack taught Bill to read and write, so that Bill could attempt to send letters home to his wife - even if she could not read, she had a brother that could, so Bill imparted his love to Mary, while being careful not to include too much information about his life at sea. Jack and Bill became the best of friends, serving together on a variety of both merchant vessels and pirate ships. Now and then they would part company, but they would always catch up with each other in various ports and have a merry time with telling tall tales and drinking all night.

Jack became a very good gambler, and was determined to use his winnings to get his own ship. He never expected that he would win an entire ship in a lucky game of liar's dice, but Jack had become an expert cheat, as well as a pickpocket. His winnings during one evening of heavy drinking included a beautiful ship called The Wicked Wench… she was absolutely stunning and Jack could not believe his luck. He used more of his winnings to have her fitted out to his specifications. She was one of the grandest ships anyone had ever seen. For the first time since his mother died, he had a home of his own. His only sad thought was that his mother had not lived to see his lovely Wench… and his disappointed thought was that his father probably would not give a damn.

Jack was the captain of his own ship, fitted out with his own money, and he was younger than Will was, now...

Jack's troubles truly began when he and his ship were hired by the East India Trading Company as privateers by one Cutler Beckett. Beckett was a cold, hateful, power hungry young man, but Jack was grateful to have the opportunity to make a somewhat honest living on the sea, on his beautiful Wench. He did not have to have a lot of contact with Beckett, and it was just as well, as he was as much of a stick as Jack was freewheeling. They disliked each other strongly, as Beckett considered Jack just another vile ocean-sailing stray dog, and Jack considered Beckett a coldhearted, aristocratic ass, but since they saw each other very little, things went along.

Jack received orders to pick up cargo to be transported from the coast of Africa to the New World. When Jack inspected the cargo, as was his custom, he was livid with fury to see that it was human cargo - dark skinned African slaves. Jack did not waver once; his own skin was only a bit lighter than theirs- he had been sold into miserable servitude, and he was goddamned if he was going to take them anywhere to become forced labor. He set them free, with no other explanation to offer to Cutler Beckett except that slavery was wrong and that he would not allow his ship to become a slaver… he had disobeyed the orders of the East India Trading Company and had followed his heart…

… and because he had been a good man, and had done the right thing, he received his reward.

"… I could actually feel the red hot branding iron sinking the letter "P" into Jack's arm by Beckett's own hand, Elizabeth! I could smell the stench of his burning flesh! And this was after Beckett had ordered the Wench firebombed for piracy and sent to the depths, with Jack being the only survivor!"

"He almost didn't survive, though; he nearly had his left arm blown off."

"That's where he got that, " Elizabeth whispered, pointing at the horrible lightning shaped burn scar that ran the length of the underside of Jack's left arm. The young couple had seen this scar before, but they never knew that it went clear up to his armpit.

"He can't feel anything there…" Will said, absently. "We will need to be mindful of that if we get into any kind of skirmishes… Jack could take a blade or bullet there, and bleed to death for not feeling it."

When the Wench went down, Jack was so distraught at the utter destruction around him that he tried to dive to the depths and pull his beautiful lady back to the surface with him… his ship, his home, his freedom. He was found, barely alive, floating on a piece of debris, before being hauled aboard Beckett's ship - where he was flogged, in addition to being branded. Not the best evening of his life…

"He was found on a piece of debris, just like I was… " Will mused. "I was fortunate to be hauled aboard a Navy vessel… that's where I met you, my love - I was taken to Port Royal and apprenticed at the smithy. Jack was forced into his father's life of piracy…"

Jack was thrown into the brig that night, delirious with pain, and absolutely mad with rage. His left arm was fractured, and blistered with burned skin, his right arm branded with a red hot iron, and his back torn by lashes with a cat o' nine tails. He might have died except that Beckett's ship met with misfortune of it's own, and Jack was able to escape from the brig by dumb luck.

Beckett's ship was attacked by, of all things, pirates. Beckett and his crew was able to escape to a nearby island in longboats, but in plundering the ship, the pirate crew found young Captain Sparrow in the brig, near death. And one of the pirates was none other than William Turner. Jack was reunited with his old friend.

But Jack was not the same… he was deathly sick with burns, infection from the wounds on his back, and the fractured arm, and after Bill nursed Jack back to health, Jack was thought to be half mad. He took to pirating quite naturally, and for a while, was as wild and ruthless as they came. He was not a murderer, but was full of so much anger that he learned the trade of piracy with such wild-eyed enthusiasm that even the most seasoned of pirates wondered about the young man. Even Bill worried about Jack, who quickly made a name for himself for his strange ways and his boldness. Jack would fool the hell out of everyone; they would think him a madman, a drunken buffoon, but he swore that he would be smarter than them all. His favorite targets would be ships of the East India Trading Company.

… but rather than get another ship to call his own, he had the utter fearlessness to petition the dreaded Davy Jones. He sold his very soul to the devil to raise his sunken ship, blackened by the fire that took her down - the Wicked Wench had died, and the Black Pearl was born. Also born of fire and fury, the defiance and intense pride that became the trademark of Captain Jack Sparrow was unleashed on the world like the storm that raged on the night that he had been born on his father's ship. If he was a pirate, then he would be the best by God pirate the world had ever seen. He would take all he could… and give nothing back.


	9. Chapter 9

۞

"But Will, we already knew much of this about Jack…"

"Yes, but did we really know how deeply Jack was affected? Did we really know just how alone he has been almost all of his life, and how badly he has been treated? I was an orphan, but I was not spit upon and beaten bloody…"

"… a slave, Will. Jack was a slave just because of his race… his freedom was taken from him so he took back his freedom with a vengeance, and shook his fist in the face of all authority."

"But at what price, Elizabeth? Jack's freedom is the most important thing to him… but he has isolated himself, especially in the ten years after he was mutineed upon… and has tried to accept the loneliness. He turned his back on the world the night that he was branded a pirate..."

The story of the Black Pearl and the mutiny was canon among those that knew Captain Jack Sparrow. What was little known were the smaller memories in Jack's heart that affected the Turners - the ones that the captain held dear and buried the deepest inside of himself. The ones that opposed the Jack Sparrow that the captain wanted the rest of the world to see. Will and Elizabeth knew that behind legend was a man who was more human than anyone that either of them had ever known.

There was the dark story of how Jack acquired the two gunshot wounds on the right side of his chest. "Jack was a very young man, maybe 17, and he was actually _caught _stealing. He took two rounds to the chest in running away, but was still able to escape and hide in some kind of barn. He was found by someone, I couldn't tell who. I only saw bits and pieces of this vision. I saw my father… he was digging one of the rounds out of Jack's chest with the very dagger that I have now. I know one thing for certain and don't ask me how I know… he still has one of the rounds imbedded in his chest… we have to be mindful of that, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth gasped, "What? He could develop pneumonia!" She got up and impulsively tucked the numerous blankets under the unconscious captain's chin. Will's mouth turned up slightly, watching her fuss. Jack would have loved that.

Jack had told them once that he acquired some of his gold teeth after his original ones were knocked out in a fight with a jealous husband. Will smilingly told Elizabeth that Jack was lying about that one, too. They were really knocked out on the side of the ship when he got drunk and fell overboard. He used some of his gold swag from the most recent raid to replace those four teeth. "He told the others that he rued not being able to spend the gold, but it looked pretty damned good where it ended up!"

"I like that story better," Elizabeth smiled, "It actually fits him better…he rarely gets into fights… I know that Jack is stronger than he looks, but he always tries to outwit his opponent."

"…or cheat in a swordfight," Will said dryly.

There was also the tale about out designing his own tattoos - he was quite proud of the one of the flying sparrow. He had even designed one for his friend, Bill… a dagger with a beautiful sea serpent twined around it, along with "Mary", the name of Bill's wife and Will's mother - the design was of the very dagger that Bill carried at all times, and that he had given to his son before Will's first escape from the Flying Dutchman.

"… one of my favorite possessions was a beautiful little carved teakwood whale that my father had brought to me when I was born. My mother kept it up on a shelf so that I could not play with it unless she was there - it was a work of art, and I loved running my hands over it. It was highly polished and of exquisite craftsmanship. It inspired me to try my hand at a more artful craft when I apprenticed as a blacksmith, and I applied myself to making beautiful swords."

Elizabeth smiled, "Then you and your cousin are both artists. What happened to the whale?"

"It went down with my few belongings when the ship I was crossing on was sunk by Barbossa and the cursed crew of the Black Pearl - when I was picked up by the Dauntless. I wish that I had it now… I was told by my mother that it was carved by a friend of my father's… I saw in one of the visions just who carved the figure, because he presented it to my father as he was leaving the ship to come see me…'I carved this for your little baby whelp', he said… he had long, wild dark hair and a red bandana…" Will laughed softly.

My father said, "Maybe you should keep it for one of your own whelps someday." And the other said, "Nah, I shall have no whelps… besides, I am only 14, and have too many years ahead o' me to think o' settlin' down."

"Jack! He made your teakwood whale???"

"Yes… Jack. He was 14 when I was born… and that makes him about 36 years old." Will smiled. " I truly wish that I still had that whale."

"Perhaps he can carve another one for you." Elizabeth reached over and curled one hand around Will's hand. She took up Jack's still hand in her other...they fell into silence for a while.

".. Elizabeth?"

"… yes?"

"… do you know what a broken heart actually _feels _like?" Will's voice was no more than a whisper, as he once again took up a wet cloth and carefully washed Jack's bruised face again. Jack had stirred a little, but was not awake. In his fever, he had been muttering in Gaelic, and the couple had heard Will's name several times - Will busied himself; many of the small bandaged wounds on one arm had started to bleed through when Jack had weakly thrown his arm out against the cabin wall, and so it was necessary to redress the wounds with clean bandages.

Elizabeth pondered Will's question with no small amount of guilt. "I thought that I would have my heart broken if I knew that I had broken yours beyond repair…" she replied quietly, "… and I know that I broke James Norrington's." She paused. "Did I break Jack's…?"

"Yes, but not in the way that you might think…"

Elizabeth could not look at Will. He reached over and put his hand under her chin, and raised her face to look at him. "We all broke his heart…."

"I saw Jack bartering with Davy Jones in one of my visions - did you know that we thought that he tricked me onto the Flying Dutchman to find the key only for his purposes, yet he tried to bargain me back once he knew that Jones wanted more? He sent me, yes, to find the key - I had accepted the challenge - but I had not told him my true purpose, that I had an accord with Cutler Beckett. In turn, I also had not told Beckett how close I was to Jack… I tried to play things 'close to the vest', as Jack would. I knew that Beckett had something against Jack and thought that Jack wouldn't help me if he knew Beckett was behind it. I told Jack very little, yet he agreed to give me his magic compass to free you, if I would help him to find the key to the chest of Davy Jones.

'Once Jack and Davy were face to face, Jack, in his own baffling way, was trying to come up with a plan to benefit us, as well as himself. Jack could not set foot on the Dutchman, obviously - I had no debt to pay, so even though he didn't really warn me of what I was going into, it made sense. We have to remember that Jack's mind is _much different than ours_… he not afraid of the things that we are afraid of, and so it especially made sense to him.'

'He had faith that I would find the key and he also had faith that I could take care of myself… he has always had faith in me. He knew I would actually be away from the Kraken on the Dutchman. He also knew I would find my father there. He tried to barter me back twice, and Jones didn't go for it, knowing that we were friends and that it would hurt Jack more to keep me.

'Jack told Jones that he was good with it, but wasn't. He knew that he had to leave me behind, which was not what he intended. I saw the whole thing. Jones did something to Jack's mind when he removed the Black Spot. He told Gibbs that he felt sullied and unusual… I think that Jack's mind has suffered…. He tried to get me back, but failed… I didn't know that…I was desperate, but Jack was more desperate, and was able to hide it. They headed for Tortuga to try to come up with something. He didn't want to abandon me…. I..I didn't know."

"But Will, you and Jack bear no ill feelings toward each other after the two of you fought together, again, on the same side in the Orient. We put it all behind us - it was all a huge misunderstanding!"

"… Aye, but it hurt him when you and I turned against him so much. He accepted it, though, and tried to tell himself that it was better that way, because he was running scared. Funny thing is that Jack drives the ones that he cares for away from himself, deliberately…we thought he was only out for himself, and that's what he wanted us to think…even though it meant causing himself pain."

Elizabeth did not want to hear it, but Will made her listen. "Jack cares about us… but he does not feel that he deserves to have us care for him. He would rather drive us away… he feels like he is somehow not worthy of us - in spite of all of his self confidence, bravado and his ability to hide his feelings, he craves love, but runs from it."

"… I watched much of what happened recently like I was watching a play, Elizabeth, except that I was feeling his pain! He thought if he could control the heart of Davy Jones, he could control the Kraken, the sea, everything… it would have been for the benefit of us all, but none of us would have seen it that way because it was Jack, the selfish pirate, not the good man. He didn't try to explain what he was thinking; he was acting so strangely that neither of us would have understood him or believed him, anyway.

'Strange, considering what he said on Isla Cruces about telling the truth - he does it quite often and no one believes him. And I was angry enough at him to say, 'with good reason'… when I stop to think that the reason that we were all in this was because I went to _him _in the jail, in the first place, the day after Barbossa took you! It was _me_ that enlisted his help to save you, and he had already saved you once, to start with, when he pulled you out of Port Royal Bay! It all comes back to _us_. Jack was minding his own business, trying to get his ship back. I went to him with a proposition that would profit us both, though I didn't know it at the time. Now I know how naive I've been," Will's face was becoming more and more sad.

"On Isla Cruces," Will continued quietly, "I angrily accused Jack of not keeping promises. What promise was I accusing him of not keeping? He had only promised to trade the compass to me if I helped him to find the key, nothing more, but yet he was trying hard to come up with something to put a stop to the madness for all of us. He never lied to me about Jones. He only told me what he felt I needed to know…but I had done the same thing about my deal with Beckett. I was no better a man than what I was accusing Jack of being.'

'Deep down inside, he wanted to get his hands on the heart to take control and profit us all. He took you onto the Pearl in Tortuga because you could make the compass work in order to find the key, to find me, and to find the heart that could solve all of our problems. He kept you safe, when he could have left you on Tortuga. Yes, I know that the two of you flirted," Will smiled earnestly, as Elizabeth's face reddened, 'but the two of you always have... we are married, and you still do it all the time. Pirates...'

Will paused, then continued. "Once I was on Isla Cruces and knew that you were out of Port Royal and safe, I changed my mind about trading the key for the compass. I was angry at Jack, and blamed him for everything that was wrong in our world. I broke my accord with Beckett, I broke my accord with Jack. I'm a fine one to accuse him of anything. I'm no better."

" ... I was angry that Jack left me to fight with James Norrington, but I can understand, now, that Jack knew that I was a better swordsman and he had the utmost confidence that you and I would end up back at the longboat... it never once crossed his mind that we wouldn't! After Jack got his hands on the heart in the jungle and we caught up with him at the longboat, he finally knocked me out with an oar to keep me from getting possession of it and messing everything up for all of us! He made sure that I was dumped into the long boat and brought back to the Pearl... He could have left both of us on Isla Cruces to fend for ourselves."

"Jack tried to bargain with Jones again, for _all _of us, until he realized that he didn't have the heart, after all - Norrington had it. When the Kraken attacked, he tried to get back to the island. You thought he was being a coward, but he was going to hunt down Norrington and get the heart back to take control, then he realized that it was far too late. He came back to help his mates, and try to save his Pearl. Once he knew it was over… that he knew that he had lost and that he was going to die… that he was going to go down with his ship … there was that kiss… shackles… and the mast…"

Elizabeth clung to Jack's hand and started to cry… shackles, again.

"… I now know that what you did was to save _our _love, but I watched what happened to _him_. I felt his heart literally break in two as he watched you - all of us - leave him behind. Abandoned again, after being 'the good man'. He tried to make things right in the end. All he has ever wanted was to live and be free, yet he was left completely alone to die, a prisoner on his own ship - a prisoner of his own desperate debt to Davy Jones. And then he turned and actually pulled free of the shackles, and fought the beast to his own death… he was truly scared, but he went down fighting.'

'I thought _my _heart had been broken, and for a time I thought that I hated Jack, but we all found out how unfounded that was - the two of you never loved each other - far from it. It was all our own insecurities - every one of us. I have been hurt, but was never truly abandoned like he has been so many, many times. We thought he was selfish… we judged someone who is not like us… We never knew him…we never understood him .… how many times has he been condemned because he has a conscience? Because he cared...?" Will buried his face in his hands.

Elizabeth laid her head on the bunk, and cried. Jack was truly one of the most mysterious, and misunderstood men who had ever lived, there were so many things that he didn't deserve. And he had just saved their lives, yet again. The captain was deathly quiet, not hearing the truth now spoken out loud, and not realizing that the young couple was now knowing what decency and honor had been hiding in his pirate heart, all along.


	10. Chapter 10

۞

Will put the wet washcloth back into the basin of water, and sat down in his chair, pulling it up close to Jack's bunk. He leaned over and placed his arm gently across Elizabeth's shoulders as she struggled to stop her tears, gently stroking the back of the captain's quiet hand... much too quiet and unmoving to belong to Jack Sparrow. She finally swallowed hard and looked at her husband... she nestled her shoulders closer to his arm. She finally found her voice.

"Is it any wonder that Jack was so engulfed in madness when we found him? What had he seen in The Locker? What had he been through? I know that we have all moved beyond all that we did to each other, we have embraced each other, and have started over with a clean slate, but poor Jack…we no longer judge him against anyone else because he is like no one else, but little did we know just how different he is...especially now. "

"… there is more, my love, even since leaving Singapore…. did you say something about him, personally, in the past? About cleanliness, or something?" Will had known about Jack and Elizabeth's conversation about curiosity - it had become a joke between them, but Will suspected that there was more to it.

Elizabeth looked guilty. "Oh Will, we were on our way to Isla Cruces, bantering back and forth, like we always do, and when he said that we were a lot alike, I grasped for things that would make us different… and I told him that he had a lack of honor, and decency, and a moral center, and personal hygiene! I didn't mean it! We know none of it is true. It was meant as a harmless joke." Will sighed. He knew that Elizabeth's comment was offhand, but after what he had been through on The Other Side, Jack's mental state was now much less stable than it ever was, before. "It came back to hurt him, didn't it?" Elizabeth said, sadly. "He just said, 'trifles', then, but there's more… isn't there?"

"We have to learn, Elizabeth, that Jack is not like the rest of us. His mind is much more fragile, now. He is cheerful most of the time, but he does have demons torturing him... Do you remember shortly after we had gotten the Pearl back again, and Jack had helped to lift my curse... and you, my love, had rejoined us? Remember the morning that we found him passed out, drunk, in this cabin and none of us knew what had upset him? I saw him in my visions, during the night, sitting here alone at that very table over there. He'd had a bad nightmare that night, and he was so upset that he couldn't think, so he found a bottle of rum and started in. He was very drunk, and was rubbing this dark area that has always been here on the back of his left hand, furiously. He was almost blackening it more with bruising. He had that strange, distant look in his eyes that he gets, and was rocking bath and forth, talking to himself or whoever he imagined was in his cabin with him, saying, '…heathen… they always said I was a filthy bastard child… said my mother was a gypsy whore… '

He then stopped rubbing his hand, and looked down at his scarred arms, and tears were streaming down his face. He was so drunk. He then looked up, at no one, and said, ''Lizabef says I 'ave bad personal hygiene… she thinks I'm dirty an' terrible…I will have t' remember t' tell Izzy that it won't come off…this is th' color tha' I am, not dirt. This spot on my hand is soot from th' night th' Wench went down… I got burned… I thought tha' I didn't really smell all that bad, but 'Lizabef does… maybe Will does, too. I don't want them to think tha'… but… maybe I smell like th' Kraken, now…like a corpse...an'…an'…I keep losin' m' ship… an…' he put his head in his hands, and cried, '… an' my mother wasn't a whore…she was just a young, innocent girl...'

Jack stirred. Elizabeth silently adjusted Jack's pillows, silent tears streaming down her face. Will continued.

"I even saw us just the other night, when Calypso appeared. When he thought that I was rejecting him, he was thinking, 'I'm scum… dirty pirate… I'd hoped we were mates, but I'm not really good enough for th' two of 'em… an' now we're related… Will don't want t' be related t' me…" and his heart actually _pained _him - he put his hand to his chest when he was looking at me… it was real, physical _pain _- I felt it. Elizabeth, Jack has deliberately distanced himself from allowing anyone to love him - yet _he _loves, whether he likes it or not, and he has let _us _in.

'In his own strange way, he wants us to love him back so much, but isn't sure that we can or will. He is a brave man - he could stare down Davy Jones, and fought the Beast with his dying breath, was sent to the Locker and back, but there is something that he is more fearful of…he doesn't want to be afraid, but he _is _afraid… of _us_." Will looked at his wife in complete and utter exhaustion. They looked down at their sick friend to see tears gracefully tracing their way down the captain's fine boned cheeks… had he heard them?

Elizabeth wiped the tears from her face with her shirt sleeve, then from Jack's face, and drew a deep breath. "Well, William, we simply have to convince our Captain Jack Sparrow that he is not filth. He is not all of the terrible things that he thinks he is. He has saved our lives - we can't help but care about him. He has proved himself to us beyond the shadow of any doubt. We are each other's _family _- none of us really has anyone else - my father is dead, your father can't be here all of the time, and we know we can't count on Teague. The three of us are here. Now. We just have to figure out how to show our cousin how we feel, and help him, without him knowing how we discovered all of these things that he has buried deep down inside for so long." She looked up at her husband. "He is a scoundrel and such a scamp, but he is so worthy of acceptance. Jack accepted _us _a long time ago."

The young couple unlocked the cabin door and opened it slightly to let in the fresh afternoon salt air. And if anyone came in, they didn't give a damn what they would think. By now, Jack was once again shivering with a cold spell as if ice were in his veins; his lips in a tight blue line, breathing hard, with a small whimper escaping his raw throat. They both carefully crawled onto the bunk, sat carefully next to their friend, pulled the many blankets around him to warm him, and gently rocked him, like a child that he had never been allowed to be.


	11. Chapter 11

After the coldness had passed, Elizabeth checked Jack's extensive injuries; he'd had a hard time with this cold spell, and he seemed to finally be restful. She gently traced the scar over his right eye. Inflicted by a slave master. It must have been terribly frightening and painful for a confused little boy, and a bad cut to leave a scar that still showed so much. She shuddered.

The Turners agreed that they should assemble the other crewmembers, who had been respectfully giving them privacy since the storm of the night before and their captain's injury and illness, and tell them of Jack's predicament as honestly as it could be explained. Pintel, Ragetti, Mr. Cotton, Gibbs and Marty had all gone through all of the horrifying events that took them to the far side of the world, and had celebrated victory and loyal kinship with Captain Sparrow and the Turners after the battle at World's End. They had thought that they would have a time of peace in which to recover, and they had, up until the events of the past few days.

They gathered in Jack's cabin, to witness him in this state, and Will gently explained what had happened to him - that this was the result of the terrible event that they had all watched in horror from the long boat, that day that seemed like it was an eternity ago, seeing the Pearl dragged to the cold depths, along with her captain. No charm could protect him, now, and he was suffering the consequences of his heart's action to deal with the devil and raise his burned ship, injuries inflicted when he chose to defend his crew and ship against the Kraken, even after he knew all was lost. William promised them all that the captain would heal from all of the physical injuries that afflicted him, but it would take time. No magical spells would be helping him any more. They understood, and questioned nothing that had to do with Davy Jones, the Kraken, and most of all, Calypso. They had noticed that Will and Jack seemed to become much closer in the last week or so, and they thought it was simply because of the deep friendship that had been forged during what Will solemnly called the Dark Times. The crewmembers were all surprised and pleased to hear in Will's own words that he and their captain had found out that they were related. They all liked and respected Will, especially his courage.

Mr. Gibbs stepped forward to address the rest of the crew as Jack's first mate, "Men, you can see what has befallen our cap'n because he loves his ship. It's his home, an' 'e went through hell to bring 'er back more 'n' once. Mr. Will is 'is blood kin t' Cap'n Sparrow - news that I, m'self, put akin t' destiny. As first mate, I am orderin' all of ye t' obey him an' Miss Elizabeth as ye would me or th' Cap'n. As ye all know, Mr. Will is th' former cap'n o' th' Flyin' Dutchman, an' Miss Elizabeth served well as the cap'n o' th' Empress after Sao Feng, who made her th' Pirate Lord of Singapore. Even they have both stepped down from their cap'n'cies, respect them as ye would me or Jack. Respect them outta respect for Jack."

Shyly, Mr. Ragetti shuffled forward and murmered, "May I say a word, Mr. Gibbs?" Gibbs nodded, and stepped aside for Mr. Ragetti to speak. Surprisingly, Ragetti approached the unconscious, battered captain in his bunk, his head lowered and wringing his hands. Captain Sparrow had always intimidated him. Rags spoke, almost reverently.

"Cap'n Jack, sir... I'm sorry that ye are so sick, an' I knows ye will be up an' 'round soon. Ye helped me gets me glass eye befo' we lef' th' Orient, an' it fits so fine that I sometimes forgets tha' I haves it. It don't pop out s' much as th' wooden one did. I knows that Mr. Will an' Miss Elizabeth be takin' good care o' ye... I saw ye saves them an' Mr. Gibbs wi' me own eyes... eye... las' night. We'll take good care o' th' Pearl fo' ye, 'til ye stands at the helm again, sir. I know tha' th' Pearl is your lass. Ye'll be back at th' wheel in no time. We knows ye... nuffin' kin take down Cap'n Jack Sparrow... not even th' Kraken." Mr. Ragetti nodded once, then rejoined his mates, his head lowered. Mr. Pintel patted him on his shoulder, and the others nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Mr. Ragetti. I know that the captain would appreciate your kind words. Elizabeth and I appreciate your loyalty; I know that I speak for my cousin, also," Will smiled, warmly. Each crewman shook Will's strong hand, and the young man knew that the things that they were told were completely accepted by these men of the sea, who had all seen just about everything. Elizabeth thought that they were all very kind, and they would be as loyal to Will, as Jack's cousin, as they were to their captain

Elizabeth would also help Gibbs to assess what they needed to do in order to repair the damaged mizzen, and report back to Will. She was reluctant to leave Jack, but Will flatly refused to leave his cousin's side, and he promised he would summon her if there was any change in his condition. Elizabeth understood her husband's feelings completely, and wanted to make sure that the important problems were addressed before she and Will attempted to sit down with Joshamee Gibbs. They had something important that they wished to discuss with him. Something that would affect them all.

When she came back, he found an exhausted Will sound asleep, leaning over forward in his chair, his arms crossed on the edge of Jack's bunk, and his head laid across them. As Elizabeth approached, she was surprised to hear a scratchy, croaking voice say, "William…."

Jack cracked his eyes open slightly and smiled as much as his cracked lips would let him, as Will groggily sat up in his chair, taking Jack's arm in his hands. "Jack… can you hear me? Can you understand me?"

Elizabeth hurried across the cabin and smiled widely, "Jack?"

"Oi…. Drink?"

The both scrambled for the water jug and the cup so fast that Will knocked the cup to the floor with a clatter. Jack smiled a bit more, "Clumsy, ain't ya, lad?" he rasped.

"Jack!" Will laughed, "You're speaking English! Thank God, you're speaking English! You recognize me!"

Elizabeth gently sat on the edge of the bunk and helped Jack struggle to sip the water slowly, "Not so fast, Jack…" she urged, "You have been very, very sick and we don't want it to come back up, again." She laid his head back into the pillows.

Jack closed his eyes and swallowed the water carefully, then whispered, "Wot th' bloody hell happened t' me?"

"You became very ill at the helm last night, and when we came to help you, we were hit by a gale as we were trying to help you. The mizzen fell and took you down… but you saved me, Will and Gibbs from being crushed."

"… an' me ship? Are we on th' Pearl?"

"Yes, Jack, you are in your own bunk. The mizzen is snapped in two - we will need to put in somewhere to make repairs, but that is all - the sails were not damaged." Elizabeth reported.

"The part of the ship that sustained the most damage was _you_, mate." Will grinned.

Jack tried to raise his bandaged hand to his face, but was stopped by Elizabeth, "You have a serious head injury, Jack. Your head was split open and your face hit the deck hard. You bled heavily, sustained a concussion, and only made your other mysterious illness and injuries worse. You started to go into shock because of blood loss. You have a black eye, a badly swollen face on the right side and 12 stitches up here in your hair." He winced. "You have been fevered, vomiting blood and sea water; you also have several wounds all over you that can not really be explained…it was as Calypso said, " Her voice trailed off, "… injuries from the Kraken… we thought for a while that we were going to lose you, again…"

Jack was quiet for a moment, trying to gather strength to keep talking, "Ah…now tell me th' bad news, love," he smiled. Elizabeth made a fist and playfully tapped his bearded chin with it.

"Are all of ye alright? Really alright?"

"… we're fine, Jack. All of the crew is fine, and have been scared to death for you."

"This would be a hell of an endin' for ol' Jack after bein' to th' Locker an' back, eh? His head bashed in by 'is own ship? She didn't mean to, ye know."

There was a momentary silence between them as Jack stopped to give his raw throat a rest from speaking. Will patted Jack's arm absently, then asked quietly, "Jack… cousin… was it cold… inside the beast…?"

Jack cracked his eyes open again, and looked at the young pirate. "Interestin' question….aye. Cold. Dark. Slimy. It smelled bad, 'til I started takin' in sea water… don't 'member much except th' cold, an' th' water… an' th' darkness. Then there was nothing. Glad tha' th' beastie swallowed me whole, or ye might have had a lot more to stitch together, eh? Jus' a lot o' freezin', cold sea water…choking… darkness…cold." The captain fell silent for a moment.

"...William?"

"Yes, Jack... I'm right here with you..."

"...I feel awful...I'm not goin' t' die... am I? Ye won't let me die..."

Elizabeth was horrified, and Will reached over and stroked Jack's hair.

"...no, Jack. I absolutely forbid it. I am not about to lose my best friend and cousin now. If you die, I'll kill you..." there was a smile in Will's voice.

Jack smiled a little, "Thank ye, lad..." his voice became quieter, "Izzy?"

"I'm right here, Jack... you are not going to die," Elizabeth took up Jack's hand in hers, "You did before, and we wouldn't let you stay that way, remember?"

"...then, if I live, I promise t' be most annoyin' t' ye ..." Jack nodded, ever so slightly.

Elizabeth squeezed Jack's hand and smiled, "... You already are annoying...I might take up slapping you..."

Jack suddenly shivered, and coughed, "...I'm cold...maybe ye should jus' slap me t' warm me up... don' leave me, William..." a hint of fear crept into his voice.

"...Rest, Jack, that's an order from a former captain..." Will tucked the blankets around Jack's slight form, "There... you'll warm up, now...just rest... I will not leave you..."

Jack finally lost his voice and his strength, and fell back to sleep, with Will still stroking his cousin's dark hair. Cold...he could not help but wonder if Jack would always feel the coldness, in one way or another, whether it was memories from cold, hard hands tearing him away from his dead mother... from too many unforgiving iron shackles... from icy, dark, sea water...from dark, damp jail cells... from the clammy wind at the top step of the gallows...or from falling behind, and being left behind...


	12. Chapter 12

۞

Mr. Gibbs joined Will to sit with Jack that night. They were all encouraged that Jack had awakened for a short time, and that he was coherent, and was now getting restful sleep. Elizabeth finally was so tired that Will convinced her to retire to her and Will's cabin to get some rest - she had tried to get Will to join her, but he refused to leave the captain. She then felt a bit guilty to leave Jack - she felt that she had so much to make up to him - but Will and Gibbs urged her to go to bed... Jack would be fine under their watch, and Will would send for her should there be any change. Will had it in mind that he would let his wife sleep, regardless; Elizabeth was worn out. She was more shaken than she let on by Jack's plea for Will not to leave his side...to help him fight off death if it should try to take him again. The terrible guilt that she still carried wrenched at her heart, and she felt it take a strange, uncomfortable turn in her chest... was this pain what Jack felt so often? Deep down, she wished that Will could always creep into Jack's heart ... he knew that there was much more hidden there, but they would have to try to understand Jack with what they had.

Will stretched his long legs out and propped his feet up on the edge of Jack's bunk and napped, while Gibbs kept watch and read one of Jack's books by candlelight. Gibbs was one of the rare seamen who was also literate; he had learned to read while in the Royal Navy, and he was also good with sums, so he had become the Pearl's first mate _and _quartermaster, pulling double duty since the quartermaster Jack had hired became enamored with a tavern wench, and had left the Pearl. Gibbs found the quiet company restful, and he kept watch over both Jack and Will, sipping rum and slowly turning pages. Jack slept peacefully.

Jack had a better night, waking only occasionally, and no longer needing the bucket to vomit into. The bloody sea water had ravaged his throat and stomach, and he could not take in anything except sips of water, but asked for rum to ease the throbbing pain that his head was presenting him with. Gibbs finally relented and, with Will's consent, watered down a very small amount of rum in a cup in hopes that it would relieve Jack's pain, and not cause the bloody vomiting, again. Jack's fever also lessened, but was still present, so Gibbs would occasionally bathe his captain with cool water to help keep the fever at bay. He did not question any of the wounds over Jack's body - just knowing that Calypso had visited Jack and the Turners and informed them of the things that Will had made the crew privy to was all that he wanted to know. Thoughts of the terrible beastie made Joshamee shudder and cross himself..

When Elizabeth returned to the captain's cabin at dawn, she was more than happily surprised to see Jack awake, and propped up a bit on several pillows. Will, Jack and Gibbs were apparently sharing a joke; Will was laughing loudly, Jack was laughing weakly in his curious silent way, and Gibbs was grinning and waving his arms to emphasize the punch line of his joke. They looked at Elizabeth and promptly stopped laughing, wide-eyed and biting their lips.

"Mornin', Izzy," Jack rasped, his voice barely audible. Elizabeth ignored the fact that they must have been sharing a very raucous joke, and she smiled widely, almost laughing, perching herself on the edge of the bunk and very carefully kissing him lightly, as the captain slowly turned his uninjured cheek toward her. "Jack! Good morning! And how are you feeling this morning?" She was mindful of his injuries and careful not to cause pain... it was still evident that he was hurting.

"… I feel like bloody hell, but I think I'm better," he paused, glancing at the other two men, then whispered hoarsely, "So much more better, in fact, that it occurs to me that y' are sittin' on me bed, an' I am completely naked under these blankets. If it were not fer your husband… me cousin… sittin' within hittin' distance o' me, I would ask ye t' join me in some friskiness, love…" Jack's pained smile was playful, and his tired eyes had a touch of their old sparkle.

"Friskiness, indeed, Captain Sparrow. If it weren't for the fact that I took great pains to stitch you up, I would slap you, you naughty boy, and cause reason to stitch you up, again." Elizabeth grinned, as sat in Will's lap and kissed him, long and lovingly.

"Izzy! _You _stitched up me head?" Jack croaked, incredulously.

"Aye, that she did, Cap'n", smiled Gibbs, "an' she did a fine job, too! Not only is she a fine sailor, she be a fine doctor, too."

Will and Elizabeth were not listening for a moment, as they were quietly nestled in each other's arms, their eyes closed. Gibbs cleared his throat and said, "Why don't I nip off t' th' galley and see about some coffee, eh?"

Jack laid in silence and watched the pair, sinking deeply into the pillows, and sighing. He was already exhausted, again. "Th' two o' ye can retire to your cabin, if ye wish", he whispered, "I'm told that William hasn't left me side since night befo' last… ye need t' get some proper rest. I'll be fine. Gibbs can sit wif me," Jack would have said more, but his damaged throat finally failed him. He coughed weakly, and spit up a small amount of blood.

Will poured another cup of water and gently raised it to Jack's lips, "Here, cousin… now, shut it. Not another word. " Jack pouted...

Jack slowly got better as the days went on. The Turners knew that he was recovering as soon as he started making a nuisance of himself. He would fuss, weakly, when Elizabeth would bring a bowl of broth and attempt to spoon feed him; the captain would scowl and clench his mouth shut until she let him attempt to take the spoon and feed himself. He was quite without real strength, and still in pain from his various mysterious injuries. His attempts to feed himself generally ended up with him dropping the spoon, or spilling the warm broth on himself. Will suspected that there were more injuries inflicted internally by the Kraken that could not be seen, but Jack was silent about them - he would only clench his jaw or turn pale if he moved or was handled a bad way.

Jack would then sigh and finally allowed Will and Elizabeth to take care of him. His famous pride was definitely stinging, but his stomach was recovering, and the rumble of hunger took precedence, which pleased the Turners greatly. Jack abhored being fed like a child, with wee sips from a spoon, but he eventually seemed to secretly enjoy the attention, once he was feeling more like himself. He did not like being spoon fed, but enjoyed the company of the young couple tremendously, and was glad that they didn't mind if he fell asleep during their conversations or when they read to him.

Will finally felt that he could leave Jack's side now and then, at Jack's insistance, and get some rest and fresh air, himself. Will would subversively attempt to get Jack to eat more solid food as his body would allow, considering how ill Jack had been; Will was concerned about Jack's gauntness, and the dark circles under his eyes that were not his customary kohl, but Jack reassured him that he was going to be fine. Will would walk into the captain's cabin from the galley, purposely eating a banana in front of Jack, offering to share, hoping to interest the captain; it was working - it was Jack's favorite, and soon, he was eating some solid food, again. The captain was still pale, giving his dark skin a gray look, and was still given to being overtaken with dreadful, crippling cold spells. Will and Elizabeth both wondered if Jack might not be able to be rid of this side effect of his bout with the Beast.

Jack had much trouble sitting up for a long time without double vision overtaking him.. Knowing how hard he had been hit by the mast, and how hard he hit the deck, Jack was simply thankful that he was doing as well as he was. He had been hit in the head a lot in his lifetime, he pondered randomly.

"… mebbe hard heads runs in th' family, young William. I know that you can be hard headed in a differ'nt way."

"… aye, but at least I can walk in a straight line. And you can be pretty damned stubborn, too, so the pot's calling the kettle black."

"…point well taken, Will."

The Pearl was slowed only slightly by the damaged mizzen on her long journey back to the Caribbean, and they made several ports of call along the way. Elizabeth, especially, enjoyed these embarkations, exploring the bustling ports, and visiting the marketplaces. Now that Jack was slowly getting better, she felt that she could go ashore stealthily with Mr. Gibbs. The Pearl's crew had helped themselves to a great deal of swag in Singapore, and the ship's ledger held a healthy balance, so she could be well stocked with good food and supplies for the long voyage across the Atlantic. With Jack's condition being what it was, presently, raiding other ships might not be advisable for the time being. Jack still asked Elizabeth to keep a keen ear as to what kind of ships were around the ports that they visited, and find out what types of cargo they carried.

Elizabeth helped Mr. Gibbs choose provisions, along with Mr. Ragetti. By now, they were sailing around of the coast of Africa, and were able to fit out the Pearl with a new mizzen mast during one of their stops.

Will assisted Jack in charting their course - even in his condition, Jack would not let anyone, including Gibbs, who was already taking on more responsibilities than anyone besides the captain, take this task. Having been a cartographer's apprentice, Jack had a peculiar love of sea charts, he had whole cabinet full of them. Charts were one of the most valuable possessions that a ship's captain could have, and the captain's cabinet was a library of maps, all neatly rolled and ready. Will had become an excellent navigator during the journey to World's End to find Jack and in his ensuing time as the captain of the Flying Dutchman, but Jack always felt that one never had enough in refining one's "reconciliatory navigational skills".

Will studied the charts that were spread out on the large mahogany table in Jack's cabin, and Jack quizzed him from his bunk. Jack was finally able to struggle into some clean clothing with some help, so Will would occasionally help him over to the table so that the captain could sit in a chair with a pillow at his back, and show him some of the finer points of making a quick escape using the charts and the Pearl's unrivaled speed... one of the dark ship's most famous attributes.

The pair would quite often fall into quiet conversation, but now Will could understand his cousin more when he would choose to not talk about some things. He knew when to not press Jack. But he could tell that Jack wanted to talk, finally having someone to trust, but wasn't quite ready. It was during one of their conversations, Jack idly asked Will if Elizabeth had mentioned any news of other ships in the area, and Will looked at him with worry in his eyes. "Jack, you're not in any condition to raid any ships right now... we can't take the risk."

Jack looked at Will with the odd gleam that they had so frequently since The Locker, tilted his head to one side, and replied, hoarsely, "It's not about raidin', William. We're off th' coast of Africa. If we encounter any slave ships, I will free their cargo, strand th' crew on land, an' blast th' bloody bejesus outta th' ship and send it straight t' hell, savvy?" Contempt crept into his voice, and Jack's dark eyes pierced Will's like black icicles, "I hate slavers, " he spat, with hoarse venom in his voice.

Will looked back into his cousin's eyes, now with deep understanding. He paused, then said, "I agree. I hate slavers, too, Jack," Will said quietly, but with great conviction and even more contempt, "If we encounter them, we will utterly _destroy _them."

Jack pondered his cousin's response later. He and Will understood each other. He knew that Will was aware of how and why Jack had lost the Wicked Wench; the captain, however, had absolutely no idea how much Will despised slavery, now, for an entirely different reason.


	13. Chapter 13

Elizabeth and Gibbs returned to the ship from one of their shore excursions with several boxes and barrels of supplies. There was something about the recent trips that bothered Gibbs in having to buy provisions honestly... he would have loved to raid a ship and come by their goods by pirating, but with Jack still in a very weakened condition, they had no choice. Elizabeth had wondered as to Jack's request to obtain information on any ships in the area; she had assumed it was to determine what ships carried more valuable cargo and which ones might be bounty hunters, but she understood completely when she found out about a ship called "The Athena".

Will and Jack were up on the quarterdeck when Elizabeth and Gibbs came back in the longboat. The other crewmembers set themselves to unloading the supplies; they would have much more to load once the Pearl made her final stop prior to crossing the great Atlantic. Will waved to the pair, as Jack, sitting on a barrel, jokingly looked down at Elizabeth with his spyglass.

Elizabeth was shaking. She knew that the news that she bore would cause Jack's mood to darken a great deal, and she knew that she had to hide how she felt... all of a sudden she knew how Jack must have felt having to mentally push and shove his emotions deep down into his very core. She could not ever let on to Mr. Gibbs what she and Will knew about the captain's horrible past... she had to act as though nothing was wrong at all. She had no idea how Jack would react, but she knew that Jack had a knack of seeing through her and would know that she was keeping information from him if she did not tell him... yet, his health was so precarious right now that she did not want to tell him for fear of what it might do to him. She approached Will and Jack, hands clenched so hard behind her back that she was certain that her knuckles were paper white - her fingernails dug into her palms.

"Pull up a barrel, my love, and join my cousin and I." Will smiled, pulling up a barrel for his wife, leaning down to kiss her lightly. Jack wrinkled his nose and coughed at them, snapping his spyglass shut.

"We found everything that we had on our list, gentlemen," Elizabeth started, pulling out a small piece of paper that had been used on both sides. She began to name off supplies and quantities, when Jack evenly asked her, "Elizabeth... why are you trying so hard to keep your hands from shaking?"

Elizabeth started at his question, her hazel eyes wide and her mouth forming a small "o". She quickly looked at the captain; his eyes were sizing her up. She looked at Will. His eyes pleaded with her to say with care whatever she needed to truthfully tell Jack, and to give the best acting performance of her life. They could never, ever let on that they knew about Jack's carefully guarded past... he would never trust them again, and his heart would be broken beyond any healing. Their new family ties came first and foremest. Trust...trust... Will's eyes pleaded...

Elizabeth licked her lips, then looked back at Jack and answered him. "...oh, I thought that we saw sharks while we were rowing back, and ..."

"... don't lie t' me, Elizabeth..." Jack rasped, hoarsely, his voice patient and his unreadable eyes never leaving her face. All that she could see when she looked up at him were the deep purple bruised right side of his face and the bandages wrapped carefully around his head injury... and the intense stare... she was so afraid for him and how he would react. He called her Elizabeth... a rarity these days. She took a deep breath.

"...Jack, Will... may we speak in privacy?"

Jack knew what was coming and could feel the anger boiled directly to the surface... they slowly made their way down to Jack's cabin, carefully helping him along by his arms.

"_I knew it!!! I bloody KNEW IT!!!"_ Jack flew into a rage, throwing his arms out wildly at his sides, then regretting it deeply with pain. "Owwww, oh bloody hell! Ooooh, bloody hell, that hurts!!! Oh, dammit, William, I knew it!!!" Will grabbed Jack and guided him back to a chair, making him sit down, and trying to calm him down.

"Jack! Please! This is not doing you any good! You're not recovered fully, by any means... you'll hurt yourself, or get sick again, and I won't allow it!" Will yelled. He grabbed Jack by his shoulders and forcibly held him still, glaring straight into the captain's enraged eyes. Jack was howling in rage and pain, not knowing which one to control first. Will nearly had to sit down on him to make Jack still himself.

"Listen, both of you. Here is the full story. Jack, calm down, please!" Elizabeth ordered. Jack took several deep, ragged breaths, and tried to settle back down, shaking in rage. His face had gone pale, and his eyes were wild..."Jack! The ship is named "The Athena" and we saw her taking on her supplies... she is well stocked, and well armed. I counted about 15 crewmen, including the captain, and their cargo consisted of..." her voice broke a little, "...over 100 slaves... they were shackled together at the ankles, and were being led into the hold... the crew were holding cat 'o' nines over them, but these people were not resisting. They were pitiful... they were..."

"_Don't say it, Izzy_!!!" Jack thundered, "We know how they were!!! They were confused, they were ... _scared_..." he said, hoarsely. "... Not only that, they will be beaten bloody... they will only be allowed hardtack to eat.. and will starve...they will be chained together in the hold and forced to sit in the heat, in their own waste... they will become diseased in the filth, and many of them will... _die_...and lay there in the hold, chained to the other ones that are still alive... left to bloat until their bodies can be tossed overboard like... trash...trash..." Jack's voice faded to nothing, and he suddenly buried his head in his hands. Will quietly kneeled down next to him, and silently put an arm across his shoulder.

Elizabeth kneeled in front of Jack, pulled his hands down from his despairing face, and said in an urgent voice, "We can take it, Jack. It was set to sail this evening, and we can take it! The Athena is armed, but the Pearl has much more firepower with her cannons... if we wait until dusk and let them only get a ways out, we can do what you told Will... set those poor people free and find someplace 'nice' to strand the crew", Elizabeth's voice became more animated and excited as she continued. "We're pirates... we WILL take them, Captain Sparrow! We can plunder their supplies and set the slaves free, then destroy the ship... Will and I won't have it any other way! WOT SAY YOU?"

Will squeezed Jack across the shoulders and Jack finally turned his face up to look at the young couple. His eyes were haunted, his face so pale that the purple bruising all over the right side looked almost surreal.

The captain's eyes then cleared, and he took control of himself. He closed his eyes for a long moment... and shook his head a few times. Quiet... quiet...a shake of the head... he clenched his jaw... control... Then he opened his eyes, slowly...slowly...slowly. He looked at the young couple... then his face bloomed with a wicked grin... and Captain Jack Sparrow smirked at Will and Elizabeth and whispered, in his damaged voice, "Wait 'til they meets they meet the likes o' us.. supposin' they've heard any of the stories from World's End?" He leaned forward... Will and Elizabeth also leaned their heads together, grinning as wickedly as the captain. They started planning...


	14. Chapter 14

The Athena had just set sail for it's trip across the Atlantic, and her fat captain had just sat down for his sumptuous evening meal, when he heard panicked voices calling out in alarm. The captain's blood ran cold when he heard the most dreaded and feared word any seafarer can hear... pirates! He hurriedly shoved his chair back so hard that it nearly tipped over, and left his fine meal to get cold on the table.

Hurrying out to the main deck from his cabin, he almost fainted. There, appearing at the side of his ship as if by magic and with full cannons pointing straight at them all, was the legendary Black Pearl, her colors raised high. They were being boarded effortlessly, as if being raided by ghosts, and his men were absolutely terrified. The Pearl was exceedingly large alongside the Athena, and they would never have a chance...

His crew didn't even fight. They simply dropped their weapons and surrendered. The stories that had come back from the Orient about this ship were enough to make any sailor tremble in fear or throw himself overboard. This enraged the chubby little man, and his triple chins were shaking indignantly as he ordered his men, "Pick up your swords, you cowards!!! These are real men, not ghosts! What is the matter with you fools???" He started to wave his arms around, his napkin flapping under his chin like a white flag.

His men refused... his first mate raised his hands once Mr. Pintel's pistol was in his face, and he said in a quavering voice, "Beg pardon, cap'n... ye can calls it mutiny if ye likes, or pick up a sword an' fights 'em off yerself, but no one can fight bein' boarded by the Black Pearl."

Pintel looked at Ragetti, who had a pistol to another sailor's head, and muttered, "I wishes they was all this easy! Either they's really bloody cowards or we're a lot more legendary than we ever was befo'!" He growled at his captive and stuck the barrel of his pistol up the poor man's nostril.

Just then, a wooden gangplank was lowered from the Pearl onto the railing of the Athena, and a tall, muscular, tanned young man walked across with a beautiful slender woman, surprisingly dressed in men's clothing. They approached the slaver captain, and the young man spoke, low and menacing.

"... if you and your crew will follow us across the gangplank, please." The young man put a very sharp, ivory handled dagger to the captain's throat, and the young woman coolly drew her sword and held it to his ample midriff. She spoke, "The captain of the Black Pearl wishes to speak to all of you."

The entire crew was escorted off of their ship, and led to the main deck of the dark pirate ship. Her sails snapped in the wind as though she was threatening them, herself, and her timbers creaked ominously. The men were lined up, their captain a few steps in front of them. The doors of the captain's cabin opened, and out stepped the man that had been taken down by the Kraken and who had come back from the dead - truly a walking dead man, although he looked quite alive and unbelievably angry.

He slowly swayed up to the captain of the Athena, silently, and was joined on either side by the young couple, still holding their weapons against him. The pirate captain stared at him, with little expression, one hand resting on the hilt of his saber, the other bandaged hand resting on the handle of the pistol that was stuck in his sash. His long, unbraided hair was blowing in the breeze, his hat resting firmly on what seemed to be a haphazardly tied red bandana. The man's face was dreadfully battered, but his inky dark eyes were burning holes right through him. The pirate leaned forward until his face was only about an inch from the slaver captain's. The captive man shook so hard that his chins were quivering like jelly.

"... I believe that you have met my cousins... allow me t' introduce us proper... you might have heard of us..." came the rasping, hoarse, and very threatening voice. "My cousins are William Turner an' Elizabeth Swann Turner... perhaps you have heard o' th' Flying Dutchman an' th' Empress?" There was a frightened murmer among the line of sailors being held under swords and pistols of the Pearl's crew. The pirate captain smiled wildly and his eyes widened with a mad gleam, "Aye! It's them! Th' ones ye heard tell 'bout!"

He then cocked his head to one side. "An' my name is Captain Jack _Sparrow_..." The captives all blanched, and were visibly shaking in their boots.

Captain Sparrow leaned in until his nose nearly touched the fat man's. His eyes began to burn like two red hot coals... "I am Captain Jack Sparrow, an' I hate slavery... I hate slave ships... I hate slave masters... an' I hate YOU."

The other captain nearly fainted. Sparrow continued, "... I wonder what we should do wif you?" He leaned back and tapped his chin with one slender finger. "Maybe we should keelhaul th' lot o' ye... maybe I should take me pistol and take target practice wif yer ears...maybe I should just dump ye in th' water an' see how ye floats... ye sort o' look like a sea turtle." The pirate paused to cough into his sleeve for several minutes, then looked up again with wide, very frightening eyes. "...maybe I should shackle YOU in th' the damned hold an' feed you only hardtack fer weeks!!!" he growled through gritted teeth.

He then backed up and regarded them in silence for a few minutes. "Mr. Gibbs."

"Aye, Cap'n."

"Find out where the keys for the shackles are an' get those people outta th' hold o' that worm eaten tub over there."

"Mr. Turner."

"Aye, Captain."

"Make ready the longboats... our guests are going for a little ride." He turned his face back to the slaver captain and said, in a low voice, "See that li'l island over off the port side?" The fat man nodded so quickly the the pirate had to stifle a smile. "There be plenty o' palm trees over there, so maybe, jus' maybe there might be some coconuts... don't know, don't care.. I think that maybe we might jus' set all o' ye off over there t' figure out how you are goin' t' get back t' th' mainland... because we are not going t' leave ye a boat, an' these waters are full o' hungry sharks...they get tired o' eatin' other fish all th' time."

As the pirate turned to leave, the slaver captain blurted out, "You, sir, are filth!!! You are no better than those savages down in the hold of my ship!!!"

Captain Jack Sparrow whirled around and was immediately in the other captain's face, his shirt front grabbed up in his fists and his face twisted in a black rage. "You're bloody lucky that I don't send ye into th' briny deep now, ye scum!!! How bloody dare you!!!! I have had personal experience wi' th' likes o' you!!! Tradin' in human misery an' pain, for money!!! MONEY!!!" he screamed until he had no voice left.

Will Turner quickly sheathed his dagger and threw his arms around the pirate captain, pulling him off of the slaver captain, yelling, "I would watch what I say to Captain Sparrow if I were you, you fool, he is known to be quite mad! He is being charitable that we don't summon the Flying Dutchman for your pitiful souls right _now_!" The young man's face was contorted in contempt, and it was then that Elizabeth Swann Turner spoke up.

"... Mr. Cotton! Marty! Take these men to the longboat and get them off of this ship NOW! We don't want the likes of them fouling the decks of Captain Sparrow's beautiful ship with their filthy presence!" As Will was calming the raging Captain Sparrow, Elizabeth Swann Turner turned back to the slaver captain with utter disdain on her face, and said, icily, "I would spit on you for your abhorrent trade in human tragedy, sir, but you are not WORTH my spit!!! Take them away!"

The captive slaves were set free upon the shore by Jack's crew, after they had been treated by Mr. Gibbs for the many injuries that they had sustained by the cat 'o' nine or from the iron shackles. They were given enough food and supplies in order to build shelter and survive for a few days until they could fend for themselves. They were also given a few items with which to make weapons to defend themselves and hunt with. They humbly thanked the pirate crew, even though they did not speak the same language. They would like to have thanked the pirate captain and his young cousins, also, but they were not to be found.

The crew of the slave ship were almost relieved to be marooned following their encounter with the Black Pearl... the pirate captain was certainly and undeniably mad, and they were happy to see the longboat leave them behind... this hardship was much better than facing the wrath of the Black Pearl and her crew. They were not certain what to do next, but at least they escaped the Black Pearl with their lives...

Will had nearly carried the hysterical Jack into his cabin and was rocking him as Jack sobbed, and tried not to get sick. Will soothed him, talked to him, argued with him, cajoled him into calming down.

"...please, Jack, it's all right... stop... it's me, Will... calm down... that's it...just calm down..."

Jack finally took large, gulping, ragged breaths, shaking and gripping Will's arm in a his hand. He was trying hard to control himself, but his mind was still reeling and his coughing was bringing up blood. Will pulled a blanket around Jack and held him until he could finally become coherent.

"... Will... God, Will... he called me filth... _I _can call me filth, but I'll be damned if _he _can!" Will stifled a laugh, as Jack looked at him, trying not to cough and sputtering in indignant anger. Looking at his cousin, Jack started to laugh a little, too. "... that came out wrong... did it not?" He was still shaking, and could not sit him up on his own. Will helped Jack over to his bunk, and carefully helped Jack to lay down. Jack suddenly felt extremely weak, and pulled the blanket around himself, trying valiantly not to vomit, and looking around desperately for the bucket.

There was a knock at the door... it was Elizabeth. She came over to Will and quietly put her arms around him for a moment, embracing him to her with all of her strength. "Are you all right?" She whispered. "Yes. You?" The young couple then turned to Jack, who had quietly started to wretch into the bucket, again. They sadly held him as he shook uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face, sobbing between the spasms that took control of him...

Night had fallen, when Will gathered up Jack and helped slowly walk out on to the main deck. They made their way up onto the quarterdeck, and leaned against the rail, with Elizabeth holding Jack's other arm.

After the crew had pillaged the supplies of the Athena and brought them aboard the Pearl... some good honest piratin' in Gibbs' opinion... they placed a cache of powder kegs on the main deck of the slave ship. The crew of the Black Pearl looked forward to a find display of fireworks. The crew had waited until Will brought their sick captain out of his cabin to see the spectacle.

Will screamed, "FIRE!!!" and with that, the mighty cannons of the Black Pearl blasted fireballs into the Athena, and there was a massive, glorious explosion. The masts crumpled and the sails immediately took fire. Timbers blew into the sky, and a cloud of smoke covered the water like fog... the ship burst into flame moments later, and a plume of black sparks flew upward to the stars.

Jack's fingernails dug into the polished railing of the Pearl, shaking and leaning hard against Will. Will pulled the captain into a full,straight, proud stand and they watched the slave ship being consumed.

As the crew cheered and they watched the massive fire before them, Elizabeth stood a half step away and looked at her two men... the bright light reflected on them showed their two faces as if it was daylight... Will jaw was set defiantly, his eyes hard and shining with fierce pride. Jack's face was nearly expressionless, but his dark eyes were half closed and glittering almost with pleasure. A muscle in his jaw was working slightly, and almost self consciously, Jack's right hand slowly reached up and touched the scar through his eyebrow that had been inflicted nearly thirty years ago. By a slave master.

One more powder keg on the slave ship exploded, and Jack faltered. Will gripped him, and looked into a face that was momentarily full of despair. Elizabeth quickly took Jack's other arm. Jack looked at William, and Will nodded slowly. He understood. Jack did not know how much that the young couple knew, only that they knew how he had been forced into piracy and his Wicked Wench was destroyed in the same way that this ship was... only it was destroyed by the East India Trading Company because he had done the right thing. Whatever Will and Elizabeth knew, Jack was thankful to have them by his side, for the burden was almost too heavy to bear alone, any longer.

Finally, the captain's rush of strength was gone. As the burning Athena slipped beneath the surface of the water, Jack also began slipping from the Turners' grip. Will finally hefted his sick and semi-conscious friend into his arms, and headed back to Jack's cabin. Elizabeth followed silently, with Jack's hat in her hands.

As Will laid Jack in his bunk and pulled off his boots, he paused to gently grip his cousin's hand in his... Jack's left hand, with its imbedded black soot from the night that the Wicked Wench went down. Will leaned down and whispered, grimly, "We did as you said we would, Jack. We blasted the bloody bejesus out of her, and sent her straight to hell... where she belongs... she will carry no more human cargo...we did it for you... and we are just getting started".

Jack opened his eyes and looked at Will, squeezing his hand back, as Elizabeth leaned down and softly kissed his cheek. Jack had no strength left with which to speak, but Elizabeth saw the look that Will and Jack exchanged. Will gave the captain a look that told of blood ties and loyalty... and recieved a look of trust and gratitude.

As he drifted off, Will's words floated about in Jack's exhausted mind... they were just getting started...they were just getting started...


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note: **Here you go, orlysluv. Our Jack and Will, more alike than either ever thought...

Jack slept much of the next day, and into the evening. He finally awakened ... but was silent. He did not feel like talking. Turning his head on his pillow, he looked right into the smiling face of Will. The younger man did not say a word; somehow, he knew that Jack would not feel up to conversation, if he even had a voice with which to converse. The captain struggled to sit up, then struggled to stand. William helped him to his feet, and they slowly and painfully made their way up to the main deck. Will settled Jack into a chair on the deck, and then joined him after he produced a bottle of rum and two mugs. Will insisted on watering Jack's rum down to keep his stomach settled, and the captain did not object. In fact, Jack did not say a word, he simply smiled and weakly nodded his thanks. The two of them sat in silence, watching the sea slip by as Mr. Cotton guided the ship through the night. There was no need for talking... the two of them sat quietly and looked out over the dark water...

It was well past midnight, and Jack finally looked at Will and spoke, "What became of Elizabeth, lad?"

"She's sleeping. She actually took some time at the helm today while you were sleeping... the swells were high, and she does not have the strength at the wheel that we have, but she insisted on doing her part... it tired her out," Will smiled. There was one lantern burning over their heads, and it cast a warm light over the two men as the night went on.

Jack was silent for a while longer, then he slowly and painfully turned himself in his chair to face Will head on. "William," he said, his voice barely audible above the sounds of the ship's sails and the strong breezes, "Why did ye make sure tha' th' Athena was done away wif so ..." he raised both forefingers, "... _thoroughly_?" Will could feel Jack's eyes searching his face, questioningly.

Will did not answer for a long moment, wondering how he was going to explain how he felt to his cousin without giving away what he knew about Jack's miserable childhood. He took his time organizing his thoughts, as he, too, had his story... Jack was patient. Will finally opened his heart, and the captain listened very intently. There was much, much more to the young man than Will had ever told anyone... but Jack always knew this. Will cleared his throat.

"I gained passage to the New World as a cabin boy aboard a ship called 'The Glasgow Girl', which I'd hoped was a lucky omen, since my father had been born in Glasgow, Scotland," Will began darkly, sipping on his mug of rum. "My mother had died only a few months before, and I had lived on the charity of some friends for a while, but I was restless. I was 11 years old, and did not wish to live upon charity forever, so I inquired around down by the docks each day, trying to find a way to the Carribbean Islands, the last place that my father had written from. It had been almost two years since my father had been heard from, which bode ill, and I now had no ties to England. I wanted to find my father... or at least find out what had happened to him."

"I didn't know that your father was born in Glasgow, " Jack mused, then apologized for interrupting, "Sorry, lad." Will nodded and smiled.

"Once I secured passage, I reported to the docks with my sea bag. I only had a few possessions. My mother was not well off financially, and after the money stopped coming from my father, the only things of value that we had were sentimental and not worth any money. When Mum died, I knew that anything that we had would be collected to pay debts, so I packed up some clothes and left for good... little did I know... Jack, don't tell any of this to Elizabeth... please."

Will paused, and stared out to sea. Jack nodded and watched Will's eyes. He began to frown with concern at the change that came into them.

"... 'The Glasgow Girl' was a trader... she shipped cargo... for the East India Trade Company."

Jack's kohl rimmed eyes widened, then narrowed, as he, also, sipped his rum. "...one o' Cutler Beckett's little pets, eh?"

"... more than you know, Jack," Will sighed, "We left England ...with a cargo of slaves."

The two fell silent again, Jack letting this sink in, as Will sat with his forehead in one hand, the other one steadily bringing the mug of rum to his lips. Jack finally looked back at Will's face... the young man was lost in thought.

"William?" Jack spoke up, gently.

Will continued without looking at the captain, "As cabin boy, it was one of my responsibilities to take food ... or what they called food... to them twice a day." He paused, careful as to what he was going to say. Jack's unreadable brown eyes were looking directly into his. "...Jack, everything that you said about what happened to those people was true. I saw them starving. I saw them sick from improper nourishment, and the stench in the hold was so bad that I would become violently ill whenever I had to go down there, but it was my job, and I had no choice." Will ran his hands over his face several times, as if he could still smell the horrible odor. "... I saw them get sick from wormy food, and from the heat; there was no fresh air down in the hold, and it was filthy. I saw them get gangrene in their feet from the shackles... I saw them die, just as you said, and I saw the dead bodies stay there for more than a day and a night, still chained to another slave, until they would finally be given a burial at sea, if you could call being pushed over the side with the garbage from the galley a burial...'

"I was treated well, but I was haunted by what was happening upon this vessel that was taking me to a new life. I was hoping to find an apprenticeship and new hope... the captives in the hold were going into a life of chains and cruelty, beatings and disease... I had not ever been exposed to slavery before, but it was thrown into my face, now. I was only 11 years old, and was already being told that I was superior... I was better... because my skin was lighter in color than theirs..."

Jack suddenly looked away, then put his face into his hands and could not look up for a very long while... Will fell silent. He wanted so much to tell Jack that he knew... that he understood Jack's pain and shame, but he could not. He had to let Jack suffer, and Will felt his own heart turn painfully in his chest, watching the anguish that this was causing his cousin. Will had to act as though he thought that Jack was upset because he had lost his ship and his own life as an honest man because of slavery. But Will knew the truth... and Jack could never know this.

Jack finally composed himself, and looked up, clearing his throat. The long strand of beads that fell against Jack's left shoulder made soft clicking noises as he turned his head and waited for Will to continue.

"There were children in the hold, seperated from their parents. There were parents, mourning the loss of their families. I made friends with a boy about my age, and we would try to 'talk' using a sign language that we made up, and I would carefully smuggle some of my evening meal down to him after dark. I had a little teakwood whale that I took down to show to him... I even let him keep it with him, overnight, one night. He had nothing of his own," Will whispered. Jack's eyes met Will's... tears were forming. "His name was Kama... he was one of the ones that died out in the middle of the Atlantic. I didn't know why he had died, but I realized later that it was malnutrition."

Will poured more rum, his voice becoming rougher, his eyes looking away. "It was hell... it was a bloody living hell. I found myself hating 'The Glasgow Girl'... all that she and her crew were doing, and all that they represented. I made up my mind that I would never become a sailor, if one became desperate enough that one had to take a job on a cargo ship that took human beings into forced servitude," Will's voice grew yet rougher, "We were not far from our destination when we were attacked... by the cursed crew of the dreaded Black Pearl." Will looked up at the black sails above their heads, mostly to hide his tear filled eyes. "I survived, but everyone else on the ship died that day. I lost all of my possessions, but I didn't care. I can still hear the screams of the crew and the captives in the hold that never stood a chance..." Will finally ran his fingers through his hair and hung his head. He took out his dagger, and started repeatedly stabbing it into the top of the barrel that they used as a table, just as he did long ago in a voodoo priestess' shack... to alleviate his feelings of terrible loss. He was now feeling guilty and angry over other feelings of loss and grief that were buried deep down inside for so many years... too many years.

"I was rescued by the Dauntless with nothing but the clothes on my back and a piece of cursed Aztec gold... I am guilty of pushing all of my feelings of pain and suffering deep down into my very core, and I did not let it back out until now. That is why I did my part to destroy the Athena." Will's jaw was clenched, "I swear, Jack... _I swear to you_... that I will do whatever I can, whenever I can, to put a stop to the misery of those who lose their freedom to slave masters... if you became a pirate because you granted freedom to those who were being held captive, then, by God, cousin, _so will I_. If it is your fate, so will it be _mine_!"

Will wiped his eyes on the back of his hand, and cleared his throat. He shook his head, sadly, and said, "The only material thing that I regret losing that day was the little teakwood whale. It had been carved as a gift from a friend of my father's when I was born... it was all that I had from my life in England...my life with my mother..."

Jack's hand awkwardly fingered the Irish lace handkerchief that encircled his slender wrist, then he reached over and gripped Will's arm, gently, "Will... lad...I'll... carve ye another whale, lad..." he said, softly.

They fell into silence, and watched the sun starting to come up over the horizen... a new day was coming...


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's note**: This chapter is a long one, as I couldn't break it up without ruining it. Almost as long as the movies. Thanks! Pirate Cat

Two days after the incident with the Athena, Jack solemnly promised himself that he would do his best to lighten the mood. He had been the cause of a great deal of concern and worry for Will and Elizabeth, and he was determined to show them that he, as Captain Jack Sparrow, had great powers of healing and fortitude... not to mention stubbornness. He impishly made good on his promise to Elizabeth to be just as annoying as he always was, and his mischievious sense of humor taxed Izzy's patience dreadfully.

Jack ventured, now, to slowly walk further unassisted, although Will or Elizabeth stayed close to him, since his walking was wobbly, even without the lasting effects of a concussion. The captain's bronzed skin was losing its sickly pallor, and the bandages were slowly disappearing from view. He was still plagued by the mysterious, crippling cold spells, but was trying to handle them without aid, much to the young couples' worry. He would shiver uncontrollably, his mouth set, his eyes closed and his hands growing clammy, but he wanted no help. His face was still badly purpled with bruising, but that, also was healing. Even the Kraken would soon be a dreadful memory... and they could all move on with their lives. Jack was definitely on the mend.

Jack had Mr. Ragetti surprise the young couple with a fine breakfast of biscuits, fresh fried eggs provided by Jack's two beloved hens, and an exotic African fruit, the name of which none of them could pronounce. They were out of coffee, but they had the luxury of some fresh butter for their biscuits since leaving their last port, and Jack seemed content with things on this day. Elizabeth drank a cup of tea, which she had nearly lost a taste for, after getting used to coffee...she would be glad when she and Gibbs would be able to procure more coffee beans. Will and Jack drank rum slowly, Will not liking tea very much, and Jack hating tea, as a matter of principal. Jack considered tea one of the scourges of mankind, since the trade of tea and spices was one of the cargo mainstays of the EITC... one of _many _cargo mainstays, he thought, bitterly.

On this morning, Elizabeth had now even removed the bandages from Jack's head, since the stitches were itching terribly, and she thought that some air should get to them to speed healing. Jack was bareheaded in the sun, with his hair blowing freely about, and the sight of it definitely took getting used to. Elizabeth had not removed the beads and coins when she was caring for him, but seeing Jack with no bandages, braids, hat or red bandana on his head was a something that no one was used to. He looked even odder than usual to everyone. Outside of the jingling trinkets in his hair and beard, he looked strangely like a normal person, if that was possible. Elizabeth thought, in fact, that he looked quite handsome this way, and she told him so. The captain reacted with a dazzling smile and a wink.

Jack freshened his and Will's rum, and sat back gingerly. He turned his head carefully, and absently touched the itchy, stitched area of his injured head with his fingertips.

"… I have to ask the two o' ye somethin', if ye don' mind," he said, suddenly.

Will and Elizabeth both looked at Jack with curiosity.

"I had strange dreams whilst I was incapacitated an' not functionin'. Did I talk a lot whilst I was sick …? William… did ye somehow… get into me head … p'raps?" Jack was not upset, he was not angry. He simply knew that they had all touched upon unexplained things many times in their adventures together, and was extremely uncomfortable with many of the new shadows playing out in his mind. He had enough shadows in his mind, these days, without entertaining more of them.

"How would I... get into your head, Jack?" Will asked, warily. He tilted his head back and looked at Jack in exactly the way that Jack tended to look at him, sometimes. Jack regarded him, then smiled a bit. Will grinned.

"I just had very strange dreams, an' you are th' one wif a touch o' destiny, according t' Calypso, or Tia Dalma, or whoever she was... or is... or will be..." the captain looked confused for a moment, "... anyways, we all bloody saw her up there on th' bloody yardarm, did we not? Is that not enough t' make one think that ye might have got int' me head...somehow?," Jack joked, then continued, "…did I talk in m' sleep?"

That could be answered honestly. "Yes, Jack. But much of it was in a language other than English", Elizabeth replied.

Jack became quiet and twiddled his long hair around a finger. He looked up at the sky for a moment. He cleared his throat harshly, winced, and finally said, "It was more'n likely Gaelic… Irish Gaelic. I'm Irish, one hundred percent, Will, an' ye would be a quarter Irish, y'self, since we share a grandmother. Me father once told me, when he took me back t' Ireland for educatin', that we were Irish through an' through, an' that no English sovereign would ever rule over us…" Jack's voice trailed off, as it was prone to do these days, and his eyes became distant.

Will and Elizabeth smiled at each other at Jack's sudden openness. Jack blinked, then looked from one to the other, back and forth, carefully leaning back in his chair and holding his mug against his thin chest with both hands.

Elizabeth smiled sadly at Jack and said, "Jack, you spoke of your father just now…I remember my mother, and I miss my father so much since his murder by Beckett. I never thanked you for your part in helping me to face his loss. I still will never forgive myself for what I did to you - you are very dear to me, you know that, don't you? How do you say ' thank you for being my dear friend' in Gaelic?" She looked at Jack, and tears started to well up in her eyes.

Jack's kohl rimmed eyes grew wide, and he leaned forward and took her petite hands into his slender ones, patting them delicately, "Darling, don't cry! Now, now. Th' mornin' is too pretty fo' tears..." He looked over at Will, who put his arm across Elizabeth's shoulders, lovingly. "Izzy, please… It's alright, love… ol' Jack loves th' two o' ye, an'…" His mouth snapped shut so hard that his teeth clicked together. He winced with pain. Captain Jack Sparrow had betrayed his feelings, right out loud! Bugger. The whelp and his lass really were making him slip up badly these days. His eyes grew even wider, making the blackened one look even stranger than usual. He patted her hands furiously, and she started to laugh through her tears. Jack tilted his head, and smiled, "Ye can borrow my father, if ye'd like. I'll loan 'im t' ye!"

"Oh, no, thank you!" Laughter burst out between the trio, as Elizabeth dried her eyes and sniffled.

"… do you remember your mother, Jack? What was her name?" Will asked, gently.

Jack nodded slowly, and grew silent for a long moment...his eyes looked up and stared out to sea...for a fleeting moment, his mind's eye saw the craggy coast of Eire... then he shook it off and said, "She woulda been your aunt, wouldn' she?" He stared down into the mug in his hands, "I was only six when she died. She was very beautiful with black hair and dark eyes… her name was... her name… she was jus' Mama… wait, now… I think that her name was… it was Maggie… I think her given name was Magdalena. Magdalena Sparrow... Magdalena Sparrow... my father did not marry me mother ," he looked at the pair, his voice trailing off, and paused, not sure if he should continue, then hesitantly, the words started to form...

"She was an Irish gypsy lass. She bore me when she was very young... I look like her... When she found out tha' she was wif child, she was abandoned by her tribe. It was expected, y'see, as me father did not marry her, an' her tribe prized virgin brides, an' couldn't support any woman tha' was wif child, wif no husband… ye can't blame 'em… sort of like The Pirate's Code, really," Jack's voice was soft, his eyes were distant, "... she fell behind... was lef' behind...like the Pirate's Code..."

"…well, me father took 'er aboard 'is ship to ensure tha' she was looked after whilst she was expectin' me, but once I was born, he dumped us back in Ireland, an' he would send swag now an' then to help make ends meet. She was a seamstress, an' could make lace, for th' ones that was better off, t' trim their fine collars wif… but we were poor, what wif her bein' a gypsy… an' all…" Jack's voice was almost a whisper, and his eyes were again cast down into the mug in his hands, "I guess that by bein' a bastard son of a pirate an' a gypsy woman, an' a pirate, m'self, I'm truly th' scum o' polite English society, am I not?"

Gypsies were looked upon as the lowest of the low by most of English society, no matter what social class one belonged to. Will, Elizabeth and Jack all knew this without saying it. Jack suddenly tilted his head back proudly, as was his customary fashion, and waited for someone to say something. Being the governor's daughter, Elizabeth shook her head and was going to say something about the absurdity of it all, but suddenly, Will smiled widely.

"Jack… teach me Gaelic."

"Wot?" Jack's head popped forward and he looked at Will. He scowled. "Ow. Me head."

"Teach me Gaelic."

"It ain't any easy language t' learn, whelp, but if ye like, I'll give it a shot, savvy? Hmmmm." The captain stroked his mustache and smiled at his cousin, relieved that Will made his mind jump to something else, "Can't think o' anyone better than Captain Jack Sparrow to take on th' task. I will agree only _if _Izzy helps me braid me hair back proper th' way it belongs. Disgustin' thought, touchin' ol' Jack's filthy ol' hair, eh, lass? Lackin' in good personal hygiene, an' what not?" Jack narrowed his eyes and smirked wickedly, and considered the subject closed for now. He welcomed the change in mood. He sipped his rum carefully, screwing his face up at Elizabeth, petulantly.

Elizabeth smiled and chirped, "Only if we can use the hair oil with coconut essence that we found under your bunk, along with the wash basin and cakes of soap. We'll have to keep the hair oil away from where your stitches are - it would sting. I was wrong, Jack...your hygiene is actually very good... I helped bathe you, myself, recently."

Jack sputtered, coughed hard and stared at her, wide eyed and indignant. Will thought he had better change the subject, again, while Elizabeth was ahead.

"Jack, Elizabeth and I have something that we want to discuss with you. Once you are done choking. You know, you might not have taken so much sea water into your lungs when the Kraken took you down, if you weren't so scrawny", yawned Will, stretching in the sun.

"Scrawny, yerself, whelp! Are ye' callin' me out, cuz I could take ye down wif one hand tied behind me back and standin' on one graceful foot, eh?" Jack growled good naturedly, then paled in pain as he demonstrated. Will leaned over in concern... it was obvious that Jack had caused himself some discomfort.

After making sure that Jack's arm was alright, Will continued, this time seriously, "Jack, I need to pour us more rum for what I am going to ask you. We respectfully invoke the rite of parlay?"

Jack swiveled his head around to regard him, "Parlay???" Will and Elizabeth both saw a momentary look of sadness and worry in Jack's eyes. Did he think that they were finally making the decision to leave the Pearl - and him? Just as quickly, the captain averted his eyes, covered his concern, and poured more rum, this time some for Elizabeth, also.

"I'm all ears, William…"

"We have nothing to return to Jamaica for, Jack. We still have prices on our heads, and for all the Royal Navy knows, I've disappeared with the Flying Dutchman. Elizabeth's father is dead, and most of their belongings were claimed by the crown." Elizabeth cast her eyes down to her hands… she fingered her gold wedding band. She didn't care about their old belongings. Her father was gone, and none of it meant anything to her. It never had.

Will looked straight into Jack's eyes and said, earnestly, "I can not return to being a blacksmith, Jack, no matter where we were to end up. We've turned pirate, and there is no going back. We wish to stay on the Pearl… with you."

Jack blinked at the pair and his mustache twitched, as it always did when he was taken by surprise. He thought about this quietly, one hand waving, absentmindedly. Will continued.

"We have spoken to Mr. Gibbs, and he wishes to return to his duties fully as the Pearl's quartermaster, and wishes to give up the responsibility of first mate. No reflection on you, Jack. I want you to know that there is nothing that I would like more than to be first mate of the Black Pearl, to Captain Jack Sparrow. You have mentored me ever since we met… everything that I have learned about the sea, and my pirate blood, I have learned from you... and you then encouraged me to learn on my own with the tools of knowledge that you gave me. I'm a good sailor, now, Jack, and I could offer you much. I wish to join you, cousin. Elizabeth can join the crew in whatever capacity that you would deem suitable and fair, but we want to sail with you." Elizabeth looked on with soft eyes and a smile, nodding in agreement.

Jack pressed his fingertips together, then took a long, slow drink of his rum. He was stone silent for several minutes.

"Jack?" The captain jumped a little, and looked at the pair as though he had forgotten where he was. He looked at the pair, frowned, and said, stubbornly, "Ye know how I am, savvy?"

"Yes, we know…"

"Ye can't change me…"

"Why would we want to change you, Jack? We _accept _you the way that you are. We _love _you. We don't want you to change," Elizabeth said, quietly.

Jack regarded both of them for a long, long moment. "Think o' wot your sayin'... Th' two of ye... love me... love _me_?" Jack stared at the pair, his emotions now showing plainly on his dark face. It was strange to hear it and have it said with such truth - it had been foreign to him. The captain rubbed his chest with his hand, as if pained ...he shook his head as if to clear it, stared at them again, then tilted his head and shook it again, as had become his habit. He had not heard those words with such feeling since his mother died. The beads in his hair jingled like small chimes.

The captain fidgeted, then blundered forward, "I pillage, an'I plunder, an' I loot. An' lie, an' cheat. I'm crude, I drink a lot, an' I sing loud, and badly. An' I like to chase women." He narrowed his eyes and nodded solemnly, as if to punctuate what he had just said.

"We have noticed that you prefer to drink yourself into a stupor, gamble, and sing loudly and badly, almost _more _than you like chasing the women, Jack. You'd rather sit on your arse and let them come to you. But if you find yourself a girlfriend for the night, we won't stop you," Will replied.

"Ah." Jack said, lightly, and he then slowly and painfully stood up. "Well. Ye wish t' sail wif me."

He carefully perched his hat on his tender head - the hat almost fell over his eyes without all of his braids to hold it up. When Will and Elizabeth just stared at him, the captain fluttered his hands wildly to make them stand, also. Will saw where this was going... he remembered a long ago morning, just like this one, on a dock in Tortuga.

Jack sternly looked down his nose at the two of them, a good feat since Will was taller than Jack, and the pair smilingly stood at attention.

"_Do you have the courage and fortitide to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death???" _Jack leaned forward, coughed into his sleeve, grumbling, "Damned bloody beastie seawater, " then croaked hoarsely, "_Wot say you_?"

"Aye!" the Turners shouted in unison, laughing.

"Well, then, we have an accord," Jack said, simply. He delicately held out his hand and shook with both of the Turners to make it official. Jack then smiled his golden smile, "Let us introduce th' rest o' th' crew to the new First Mate Turner an' Quartermaster Second Mate Turner. I made tha' second one up. It means you will assist Mr. Gibbs, Izzy, " the captain said, helpfully.

"Oh! Aye, Captain!" Elizabeth saluted, smartly. Will laughed.

Jack looked at them both and added, quietly, "Ye wish t' join me... ye wish t' stay wif me... may I wish ye '_cead mile failte_' t' th' Black Pearl? That would be your first lesson in Gaelic - its a Gaelic sayin' meanin' 'a hundred thousand welcomes'." Jack removed his hat, and placed if over his heart... he was not his usual joking, mocking, self. He was smiling with true and complete joy.

Will said softly, "Aye…" and put his hand on Jack's shoulder.

Elizabeth smiled warmly; it was the same way that Will had said the same word, when he agreed to search for Jack and bring him back to the living world, an eternity ago in Tia Dalma's shack… this time, they were _joining _Jack. They all had finally found a home, with each other.

They went to tell the rest of the crew, with the captain slowly, painfully and proudly leading the way. The Turners could assume their new duties, and ready the dark ship for the long trip across the Atlantic...


	17. Chapter 17

_Author's note: Okay, mates, only one chapter left, after this one...I know that I have posted a lot since introducing my very first story last weekend, but I am enjoying myself so much with this. It will probably not be my only one, as I thought it would be; just too much fun. Perhaps a sequel... in the meantime, thank you so much for the wonderful support... A tip o' me tricorn hat t' all o' ye. Here is the second to last chappie. Pirate Cat_

The Pearl rounded the southern tip of Africa and made preparations for the crossing of the Atlantic and home to the Caribbean at last. They sailed a distance up the west coast of the continent to take in many of the exotic sights and material things that were there for the asking. They visited for several days until it was rumored that pirate hunters were in the area; the Pearl took westward to open ocean.

Elizabeth had been coiling rope on the main deck, when she stood up to stretch and rest for a moment, leaning against the rail. She looked out over the lovely rolling waves... the sky was startlingly blue with only a few puffy clouds. She smiled as she looked down along the water at the prow of the mighty Pearl and watched the whitecapped water roll gracefully away from the sides of the ship as if they were sailing through the clouds, themselves. She turned to let the sun warm her face, and looked up at the quarterdeck.

She would always catch her breath at the sight of the two men at the helm. Her beloved husband, standing tall and straight, broadshouldered, purple shirt open at the neck and rippling in the wind, exposing the front of his scarred and muscled chest. Long legs, feet planted wide apart, with his hands folded serenely behind his back. His strong face, tanned and laughing, handsome and more mature than it had been on the day that they were to be married in Port Royal, a lifetime ago, until fate intervened. His curly brown hair blowing wildly, golden earring sparkling in the sun, the sword that he had forged with his own hands strapped to his side. The first mate of the infamous Black Pearl. Her heart swelled with pride.

Next to him, the Black Pearl's legendary captain, her husband's cousin. Smaller and thinner than his first mate, the captain's feet were also planted wide apart, hands gripping the wheel as though he would blow away if he let go, dark handsome face grinning with glee at the joke that only the two of them shared... it happened often, with those two. The captain's dark, long, wild hair blew fiercely in the wind, hitting both of them in their faces. Silver earrings peeking out from darkness. Long cotton sash around his waist, curling around the wheel of the ship, as though the red striped cloth were the captain's own slender, loving, delicate hands. Fate had intervened, again, long ago in a blacksmith's shop in Port Royal - swords were drawn, sparks flew, and a friendship was forged over the very coals that heated the finely crafted blades... destiny cried out that blood was thicker than water, and that these two were, indeed, good men, in Elizabeth's eyes .

She thought of Evangeline, the grandmother that her two men shared. The free spirited woman who had two sons by two lovers, Captain Jonathan Teague and William Turner the First... one was the wind, one was the anchor...

Elizabeth turned her face up to the billowing black sails and let the sun hit her face. She closed her eyes and silently sent thanks to the mysterious Evangeline Turner. _I don't know where you are, but I want to thank you from the bottom of my very soul. You have given me the same things that you treasured... the anchor... and the wind_... She then sent thanks to the sea goddess Calypso..._ You changed us forever... you gave us our new lives... you gave us knowledge, understanding, acceptance and hope... we were friends, before, and you gave us each other's hearts... thank you..._

Jack was finally nearing full recovery from the affects of his terrible illness - his balance and headaches were improved, and on the day that they left port, his extensive stitches were finally removed, after the consumption of a great deal of rum, and much protestation. More rum was administered, of course. After what they had all been through and as ill as the captain had been, Jack's rum enhanced high spirits were quite contagious.

Elizabeth had promised Jack to help braid his hair, and retie his bandanna. She undertook this daunting task of braiding, once the stitches were removed, while the captain was loudly singing a rather raunchy sea chanty to Mr. Cotton's parrot, who had flown into the captain's cabin and perched on the back of one of the chairs to watch the proceedings.

Jack was carrying on quite a conversation with the bird, "Ye are a pretty thing, an' ye can talk, so I woul' s'pose ye can sing, birdie! Aye, 'dead men tell no tales', y'self! Ain't it a wonder tha' Rags hasn't made curried parrot 'n' rice f' supper? I shoul' feel bad if tha' happened... yer too pretty t' eat. If ye lose a feather, may I please put it in me hat?"

"Jack!" Elizabeth admonished, "Sit still!"

"...I asked 'im nicely. I said 'please'," Jack frowned, taking another hearty swallow of rum and bursting into song, again.

Elizabeth finally ended up smacking Jack on the back of the head as she was trying to tie the thick braid that she was making, "If you don't sit still, I shall tie this bandana over your mouth!" she threatened. She poured more coconut essence into her palm and continued to braid, pulling hard on Jack's hair as she did so. He winced and frowned darkly. She tied the braid at the bottom with a piece of bright red string, then stood back and admired her work. It had been some time since the captain's hair had been braided so neatly, and it shined.

"There, now, you almost look like Captain Jack Sparrow, again!"

Jack hiccupped. "I likes th' red string. Thank ye kindly, Izzy..."

They then went through the ritual of tying the red bandana back into place, with Jack fussing for several minutes until it was wrapped properly. He gingerly touched the new scar where his stitches had just been removed; he was almost sad that it would be covered by the bandana, as it was, in his opinion, a fine scar worth some good stories. It still hurt some, as did his still somewhat bruised face, but rum did wonders for taking the edge off.

Will had partaken of his share of rum also, and winked at Jack when he said, "Let us share with Elizabeth the task that you and I undertook while she was shopping at the marketplace with Gibbs before we set sail today, eh, cousin?"

Jack grinned and slurred, "Wha' task..? Oh, tha' one! Aye, 'tis time to share!"

Will winked at Elizabeth, and said, "Jack tells me that he used to be a tattoo artist, and that he designed several of his own tattoos..."

Elizabeth grinned, and giggled in a singsong voice, "I've seen all of Jack's tattoos… I've seen Jack _naked_!"

Jack scowled at her, and countered, also in a singsong voice, "Izzy's seen me naked... _she_ owes _me_ peek…"

Will intervened, "Alright, you two, let me continue…so Jack and I got tired of studying the charts one day, and I told him just show me how he would design a tattoo, and…"

Jack smiled proudly, "I made William a draw-ring!" Elizabeth stared at him.

"A drawing, Jack?"

"Aye, lass! Tha's wha' I said. A draw-ring". Jack hiccupped.

"Ready, Jack?"

Jack stood up next to Will, tossed his dreadlocks over his left shoulder, and the two of them pulled open the left side of their shirt fronts in unison. There, on the left side of each of their scarred chests, were matching tattoos, one of the most beautiful works of art Elizabeth had ever seen… a stylized heart - the heart of Davy Jones - stabbed through at an angle with Will's dagger, a wee sparrow gripping the hilt with its tiny claws, wings outspread. Trailing around the design were graceful tentacles - the tentacles of the Kraken. Elizabeth gasped.

"How beautiful!" She reached out to touch them both. Jack flinched. Will smiled… "Seems that my cousin is a bit more tender than I am!" he said, proudly.

"No, I'm _not_! I'd have to admit tha' I _am _a bit scrawnier than you, though." Jack muttered, sadly.

"Blacksmith," Will beamed. Elizabeth kissed him and smiled.

"Turned pirate," Jack answered, for no reason. He continued, slowly, with hands punctuating his words. "I know that we stabbed th' heart with a sword, but I couldn't draw'r a draw'ring o' th' sword. So we settled on th' dagger, savvy?"

Jack delicately poked a finger at Will's tattoo. Will didn't flinch. Jack frowned at him. He poked a slender finger at his own tattoo. "Ow. Good thing we was good an' drunk when we got these…"

Will put an arm around Jack's shoulder, and raised a finger in the captain's face… "YOU were good and drunk, Jack. I nearly had to carry you back to the longboat." Jack smiled, brightly, "... won't be th' last time, either."

Will turned back to a smiling Elizabeth, who was still looking at the tattoo on her husband's chest with awe. "It was either this, or become brothers of blood ... we chose this. Jack can't spare much blood these days. Sort of a family crest, don't you think?" Will admired his tattoo, Jack looked at it, then his own. One of his better draw'rings, Jack decided.

Elizabeth smiled at the pair with pride. Will had donned his blue bandana to tame his long, wild, curly brown hair some days back, and he and Jack were a wonderful sight to her eyes, standing shoulder to shoulder. "They are beautiful tattoos, I must say! Perhaps Jack has missed his calling." Jack tossed his head back proudly, swaying a bit.

Elizabeth then seized the opportune moment…"Well, gentlemen, I acquired something at the marketplace that I wish to share with both of you… please wait here!"

Will looked at Jack, his eyebrow raised. Jack smiled and said, "S'pose Izzy got a tattoo?"

They waited for her return...


	18. Chapter 18

۞

_Author's Note: Thank you to all of my new mates that read my story, and to all that left reviews. You have no idea how much it meant to me to have so many positive things said about my very first effort. Here it is, the final chapter. I hope that you like it. Cheers, mates... Pirate Cat_

Elizabeth returned a few minutes later with a small pouch in her hands. She motioned for them to all sit down at the table, and sat quietly, gathering what she was about to tell them. They looked at her expectantly.

"… Jack, do you know what day this is?"

"… I dunno… wot day is it? Wot month is it?" He seriously looked to the parrot for help. He hiccupped again.

"… it's October 20... It's the anniversary of the day of your birth, or so you thought …"

Jack fell silent. His eyes flicked from one of the Turners to the other, again, not certain where this conversational exchange was going.

"Well, when we were provisioning the Pearl in the marketplace, Joshamee and I came upon a woman that was making these over a fire. It was fascinating...they were beautiful, and I wanted to get one for you for your birthday. I had these made especially for each of us."

Jack said nothing… he looked down at the cloth pouch that Elizabeth had laid on the table.

".. now…I decided, in light of all that has happened to us, and in light of what we now all know about each other, that I would get one made for each of us. We can all choose one…" and she unwrapped three of the most beautiful, handcrafted beads that any of them had ever seen. Lovely, large, glass African trading beads. She offered the beads to the captain first.

"Choose one, Jack. In honor of your birthday!"

Jack's face lit up with a huge smile... a birthday gift. Oh, how he loved beads. He looked at them with great care, finally daintily picking one that was bright faceted emerald green, with flecks of gold and black. It was very colorful and glittered like real swag - he eyes shone with pure pleasure. He didn't have one like that. He examined it so closely that his eyes crossed a little.

Elizabeth offered the two remaining beads in her small palm to her husband, "…Will…"

Will pursed his lips, and chose one that was a beautiful clear iridescent blue, with red swirls and silver flecks. He had never seen anything like it. He rolled it between his fingers, and grinned at Elizabeth. That left a red bead with copper and gold flecks for her. She smiled triumphantly.

"You both chose just the ones that I thought you would. I picked these colors with the three of us in mind." She turned to the captain with glowing eyes, " Jack," she began, "I chose those colors for you... the green represents the land of Eire, to the Gaelic gypsy people that bore you... both you and Ireland are embraced by the sea... the gold is for your teasing golden smile.. and the black glass represents the ship that is a part of you, as much as your dark, dancing gypsy eyes..."

Jack stared at her. The very thought that anyone should give him a gift for being born completely stunned him. Once it sank in, he bit his lip hard. He tried valiantly not to hiccup.

"Will, I chose these colors for you," Elizabeth continued, softly, "because the clear blue and red glass represents your true, brave heart and the ocean waves that mingle with the pirate blood that you were born with, and should be..._must be..._ proud of... and the silver, like moonlight, is the love that I see shining in your eyes when I look into them…you are my love, as constant as the moon..."

Will leaned over and tenderly took Elizabeth's small hand into his own strong one. His brown eyes glowed as he said, "Elizabeth, my love, the bead that you chose for yourself… the red represents the burning, insatiable fire in your spirit... a fire that burned so brightly at World's End; the copper is the color of the courage of a governor's daughter, willing to leave all riches behind to marry a lowly blacksmith who dared to turn pirate, himself... and the gold? Y_ou_ are my treasure... A very, very wise man once told me that 'not all treasure is silver and gold'... ".

Jack mused to the bead in his hand, "Tha's a good sayin'... I'll have t' remember tha' one." Will looked at Jack, and shook his head, almost sadly.

Elizabeth threaded her and Will's beads onto a slender leather strings, and she placed Will's around his neck. It was beautiful... a small iridescent work of art against his tanned skin. Will placed the fiery red bead around Elizabeth's neck, slender like a swan's... and after he ran his fingers through her hair, he lovingly turned her around to look into her eyes... then suddenly pulled her to him, and kissed her with a hot, fiery passion, the same passion that she felt that day, so long ago, on the rampart above Port Royal Bay, and the same passion that she felt as Will kissed her in the heat of battle at World's End, their own heat cooled only by the driving rain that was pelting their bodies.

Watching the Turners, Captain Jack Sparrow wrinkled up his nose at them, muttering, "...marri-aaaage...blah." as he braided the handcrafted bead into his hair. The young couple smiled at him, as they watched him happily dangle the glittering, faceted bead to catch the light from the sun that was streaming in the cabin's windows. It shone like emeralds and gold against the rich, dark ebony of his hair. "Look, Mr. Cotton's Parrot... I migh' even be prettier than you, now!" he proclaimed, "Ye don' have t' worry about yer feather, mate, I don't need it, now."

Smugly, Jack turned to the Turners and filled their mugs, again, handing them to the couple. "William! Let us raise our mugs in a toast, an' another lesson in Irish Gaelic!" Jack grinned, "Alright…_tá deoch agat_?"

"What?"

"Just say 'Aye', Will."

"Aye!"

"Izzy, _tá deoch agat_?" Jack swiveled his head and looked at Elizabeth, eyes wide.

"Aye, Cap'n. What did you just ask?"

"I asked ye, 'd'ye have yer drink wif ye, in hand, ready t' raise a toast t' th' finest pirate crew in maritime history?' Well, it wasn't really all o' that, but tha's wha' I meant..." he leaned confidentially toward Elizabeth, and whispered, "It really means, 'ye have a drink???'" Elizabeth nodded and said, "I see! Aye, I have a drink!" she giggled.

Jack tilted his head aside, and then shouted, "Captain Jack Sparrow, _tá deoch agat_? .. Aye, Captain, I have rum!!!" He answered himself, raising his mug high and swaying slightly, almost falling back down into his chair.

Elizabeth shouted, enthusiastically, "Our toast! To the Black Pearl! To us! Bring us that horizon!"

Will joined in the merriment, by narrowing his eyes, "We will be the most feared and fearless crew on the Spanish Main, no, the entire ocean! No, all the way to WORLD'S END! Long live the Black Pearl and her crew! _Take all ye can_!"

Jack's eyes glittered with excitement, as he snarled, "Aye, cousin! To th' Black Pearl an' her pirate family! _Give nothin' __**back**_!" And the three of slammed their mugs together merrily, drained them of the rum, then slammed them onto the table in unison. And as he had one sunny day on the main deck of the Pearl, Captain Jack Sparrow stood and wrapped his arms around the young ones' shoulders in a firm embrace. They embraced him back, as they did on that fine morning not long passed.

His mood softening, the captain murmered, in his husky voice, "… no one's ever given me a birthday gift 'til now...thank you…." Jack closed his eyes, and was finally able to say what had been in his heart for so long, "... I care about ye both... 'I love ye' in Gaelic is _Tá grá agam duit' _... An' I'm tryin' not t' let it scare th' bloody _hell _outta me…", and he shook his head; he would not look into their eyes.

"We care about you, too, Jack… don't be _ever _be afraid to love...I was afraid to love at one time, and it nearly ended my mortal life, if it weren't for Elizabeth's true love for me... if one is afraid to love, it is like putting shackles on one's heart...or cutting it out...," William said, quietly, forcing Jack to look at him, "You've had _enough _shackles in your life, Jack... it's time that you set your _own _heart free...I did..." Will searched Jack's eyes for a moment.

The captain looked at his young cousin with hope; these wondrous words were coming from a young man that he thought hated him at one time, something that the captain would have truly mourned like death, itself. A young man who seemed so much wiser now... and who mysteriously seemed to understand so much about him... since Calypso's appearance, it seemed like William Turner the Second could read the captain's mind, and his heart. Jack could not understand it, but had no desire to question it.

He cast his eyes back down. For once, he could not speak. There was the slightest of blushes on the high cheekbones. Jack cleared his throat a little... he was getting hoarse, again... or maybe it was a bit of a lump in his throat. He gave Will's shoulder a small, but meaningful hug, and Will patted his shoulder softly. The captain's face was still purpled with dark bruising, and it only reminded the Turners of what they had all been through, and like all of the recent events of their lives, they lived through it... and loved stronger because of it.

Elizabeth drew both of them closer to her, then playfully tugged at the long dreadlocks that trailed down Jack's back, nearly to his waist. "You are a treasure, Jack... you, Will, me...our _family _is our most valuable swag, now." Elizabeth gave Jack an extra squeeze around his waist, and buried her face in his shoulder for a moment. She then looked straight into Jack's dark eyes, and whispered, smiling,"... I smell spiced rum, coconut essence, the wind off of the sea..." She then embraced both of them, tightly..."and I think it is the fragrance of _freedom_!"

_...it was late at night...the ship and her crew were now far out in the autumn Atlantic...there were lightning bolts etching designs on the horizon in the distance, and the low rumble of thunder came in soft waves across the surface of the water... standing at the bow of the Black Pearl, leaning forward against the railing, with his arms slightly outspread and his fingertips playing the wind as if it were an Irish harp, her captain looked up at the sky, and smiled. He closed his eyes, and his head was swaying back and forth with the rocking of the waves ... a lace handkerchief was fluttering from his wrist, like a tiny, wee ghost..._

_"Mama?..." a flash of lightning warmed his face, "... Mama, can ye hear me? ...at last...someone thinks I have worth... someone cares about me... I have a cousin... his name is Will...his girl is Elizabeth...they are my best friends...they are glad tha' I was born, Mama, like you were... ye lef' me, but ye couldn't help it...they are not goin' t' abandon me...they love me, an' I'm tryin' not t' be afraid ... I don't want t' be afraid...I need them too much... I love both of them... I have a cousin, Mama...an' his name is Will..." _

_He heard the lilt of music coming from the wind harp, and the captain kept playing the wind with his fingers, eyes still closed, smile still golden warm. _

_From the shadows, the young first mate watched his cousin, silhouetted against the lightning in the sky, and he also smiled. He did not hear the music that the captain was hearing, but he had no doubt that it was there, even if the captain was the only one who could hear it. He hoped that perhaps the gift that he was granted for only a few hours, the gift of truly seeing into his cousin's heart, would return someday, even if only for a moment or two, so that he, too, might also hear the music that the wind harp played. _

_The first mate protectively put a hand on the captain's shoulder, and spoke to him with a boyish grin, in the broken Irish Gaelic that he was just beginning to learn. They slowly walked back to the helm, to join the first mate's bonnie lass. As a family, they would sail the mighty Black Pearl into the velvety, comfortable blackness that was their home, the ever changing, stormy and immortal sea...With the rest of their incredible lives ahead of them, indeed, they were just getting started... they were all shedding the confining, enslaving shackles of their past lives ... they were truly free, yet bound, by their hearts, to each other..._

THE END

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